A Master's Path
by Kender Bard
Summary: This was my book I wanted to publish but can't. It really picks up in Chapter 6. (The chapters are small). So R&R and enjoy!
1. Chapters 1-5

A Master's Path  
By Andrea Martin  
  
Chapter 1  
As It Begins  
  
I couldn't be happier. I just had caught my second Pokemon! With my loyal, kind, and not to mention adorable, Charmander at my side I stared at the Pokeball containing my newly caught Bulbasaur.  
"I wonder if I should give him a name?" I thought. "No. I'll nickname a Pokemon when I get two of the same type."  
"With a Bulbasaur I can catch a Squirtle, Charmander," I said to my companion. "That' would be perfect!"  
"Char," Said my Charmander. Since Pokemon can only say their name I can only assume that he said, "Cool."  
Halfway to the river where I was going to try to catch a Squirtle, I saw a Spearow.  
"I don't think I'm going to catch it," I resolved. Charmander looked up at me with a questioning look. "You see, I'm anxious to get that Squirtle. If I battle this Spearow it'll weaken you and I want you guys to save your strength. Besides, they're commoner than dirt."  
"Charmander, char char," replied Charmander. This probably meant that he was okay with that.  
We started down the road again. The Spearow didn't move, so I kicked up some dust and scared him away. As soon as we got to the river I saw a Squirtle sunbathing.  
"Here's my chance, Charmander," I whispered. "Bulbasaur, go!" Out popped my Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, strap him down with Vine Whip! Now!" Bulbasaur did what I ordered. "Now use Leach Seed!" I watched the energy get drained out of the Squirtle. "Pokeball, go!" After I hit Squirtle with the Pokeball, the Pokeball jiggled around, then stopped. "All right! I caught Squirtle!"  
"Bulbasaur, bulba!" cheered Bulbasaur. I could tell he was happy.  
On the way back to the Pokemon Center I engaged Spearow again.  
"What a pest! He won't move," I grumbled, kicking up some dust. It didn't work this time. "Charmander, use your Growl attack to scare it." Charmander did as I asked. Spearow used Gust attack to blow Charmander to my feet. "This Spearow has spirit. I think I'll catch him. Charmander! Use your Flamethrower attack!" That did the trick. "Pokeball, go!" It wriggled a bit after I hit the Spearow, but it stopped. "Hurray! I caught a Spearow!" Charmander his own cheer like Bulbasaur did. "I said I'd only nickname a Pokemon if I caught two of the same kinds, but I'll make an exception." I looked at the Pokeball and said, "Spearow, your new name is Pesky!"  
As I continued my walk to the Pokemon Center, I smiled. I have three Pokemon in my backpack and one wonderful companion, Charmander, at my side!  
  
Chapter 2  
Let the Battle Begin!  
  
I finally made it to the Pokemon Center where I ran into an old friend.  
"Hello, Bree! How have you been? I haven't seen you in such a long time!" I exclaimed.  
"Hello! I'm fine. Are you going to stay here, or just visiting?" asked Bree.  
"I'm going to battle a little while longer, then I'm heading off for Celadon City to challenge the Gym master," I replied.  
"Well, since we're both in the battling mood, why don't we have a match?" offered Bree.  
"Sure!" I explicated.  
"Ninetales, go!" she ordered.  
"This is great, Charmander. Time to use my new Pokemon! I think I'll try Squirtle! Squirtle, go!"  
"Ninetales, use your Ember attack!" she commanded. Ninetales delivered a great Ember attack, but missed my Squirtle by inches.  
"Nice dodge, Squirtle! Now, use your Bubble attack followed by a Water Gun!" I instructed. Squirtle did everything with complete accuracy. "Now finish with a Skull Bash" Squirtle did a Skull Bash to finish the match.  
"Impressive, but let's see you handle this!" she teased. "Ponyta, go!"  
"Man, you must really be into fire Pokemon, but they can't match my Pokemon!" I jested right back to her. "Squirtle, return! Go, Pesky!"  
"Ponyta, Flame Tail! Now!" she directed. Ponyta landed the attack right on Pesky's right wing, charring it slightly.  
"I'd better not try any gust attacks with Pesky. Pesky, use Peck attack! Now!" Pesky did so with great speed, although I could see it was hard on Pesky's wing to go so fast.  
"Ponyta, Stomp attack!" she decided. This time Ponyta's attack took major damage on my Spearow. "Are you ready to give up yet?" she asked, rather over confidently.  
"No way, Bree. Pesky! We can win if you use your Mirror Move!" I encouraged him. My pep talk must have did some good, because I don't think Ponyta could have done another Stomp attack better. Not like it had a chance. As soon as Pesky did his attack, Ponyta fainted.  
"I can't believe I lost. I guess I need to train harder, great job!" congratulated Bree.  
"Thanks, Bree. Thank you too, Pesky! I'm sorry I ever called you a pest. You're the best!" I beamed.  
  
Chapter 3  
Paying Respects  
  
I sat down and thought really hard about what I was about to do. Despite my feeling I knew I had to do this.  
"Charmander," I said to my companion. "Charmander, it's been more than year since I let you walk around with me instead of staying in your Pokeball like the rest of my Pokemon do. Do you remember why I let you do this?" Charmander shook his head. "It's because I think it makes a Pokemon stronger to walk around instead of resting in their Pokeball all the time. I was right. You are very strong. Well, it's time for me to let another Pokemon walk around with me. Charmander, go back into your Pokeball." Charmander got very sad, be he knew I was right. He nodded his head and returned to his Pokeball. I picked up Squirtle's Pokeball. "Squirtle, I choose you!" I threw the Pokeball.  
"Squirtle!" said Squirtle.  
"Squirtle," I said. "From now on you are not going to stay in your Pokeball, unless it's necessary. This way you'll grow strong with the daily exercise. Okay with you?" Squirtle looked up and smiled.  
"Squirtle squirt!" he said happily. I suspected that Pokemon liked being out of their Pokeball.  
"Okay then," I said. "I was going to the nearest gym to start my adventure, but I think it'd be better to start from the suggested Gym for new trainers. They say that's in Pewter City. That's a long way but I have enough money to take the Pidgeotto Airline's next plane, so I will probably take that plane. Only, I will go to Pallet Town first to see Professor Oak. He was so nice to lend me a Squirtle to catch Charmander. I'd like to see him again. What do you think, Squirtle?"  
"Squirtle squirtle!" said Squirtle. I was sure that was a yes.  
  
Two hours later...  
  
"Hello? Professor Oak?" I asked the empty room. I wondered where he could be. Just then a boy walked out of a room. Some cheerleaders followed him. "What an unusual kid." At the same time, another kid wearing pajamas rushed into the same room the other boy walked out of. "Another weird kid. I wonder what all the excitement is." I walked into the apparently busy room. There, Professor Oak was talking to the pajama kid. "Hi, Professor Oak! Remember me?" I said with a smile.  
"Is that you, Meadow?" asked Professor Oak. "Why hello! It's been a while. I bet you wonder what all the rush is around here."  
"You don't have to be so formal. You can call me by my nickname, Squirtel," I greeted back.  
"How'd you get a nickname like that?" frowned Professor Oak.  
"Because I loved Squirtle so much as a kid," I answered. "Everybody started calling me Squirtel. They said that Squirtle was too boyish of a name. What is all the rush about?"  
"I'm giving Ash here his first Pokemon. Isn't that right, Ash?" explained Professor Oak.  
"Yep! And I want a Squirtle for my first Pokemon," decided Ash.  
"Sorry. That Pokemon has been taken," said Oak.  
"Did she get it?" asked Ash looking in my direction.  
"No! I caught this Squirtle myself," I said a little insulted.  
"Well, then I want a Charmander," Decided Ash.  
"Sorry. Taken," said Oak again.  
"Bulbasaur?" hoped Ash.  
"No luck," Oak said for a third time.  
"Is there any Pokemon left for me?" pleaded Ash.  
"Yes. A Pikachu," said Oak.  
"I'll take it!" Ash said happily. After receiving a Pikachu, Ash turned to me and said, "I hope we meet again."  
"Me too," I said cheerfully.  
  
Chapter 4  
Brock's Gym  
  
After I was done visiting Professor Oak's I decided to head off to Viridian City.  
"Okay, Squirtle. Let's get the ball rolling with a little training." I looked around for a second. "Do you see that Rattata there?" I pointed her out to Squirtle. Squirtle nodded. "I want you to use your Bubble attack to paralyze her. Then bite her and I'll try to capture her." Squirtle used Bubble, but it didn't paralyze the Rattata. Instead, Rattata used Growl to try to weaken my Squirtle. She wasn't a very high level Rattata so when Squirtle used Bite attack it was pretty easy to capture the Rattata. "Great job, Squirtle!" I congratulated. I knew that if I was going to start challenging Gym Leaders then I was going to need more than four Pokemon. Lots more. "Now, let me think. I know that Brock only uses Rock type Pokemon. That means I won't be using Charmander or Pesky. Rattata either. That just leaves you and Bulbasaur. Well, since there's not supposed to be any Pokemon good against Rock types around here, let's just cross our fingers and hope for the best."  
"Squirtle," nodded Squirtle in agreement. He crossed his fingers like mine. I had to smile. He was pretty cute looking. When I arrived at the Pokemon Center the next day, I gave Bill, the Pokemaniac, a call.  
"Hey, Bill. I've got three Pokemon I need you to hold onto for me," I explained. "A Charmander, a Spearow named Pesky, and a Rattata. I don't think they'll be very good against Brock's rock hard Pokemon."  
"No, they won't put a dent in his Onix or Geodude. I'll be glad to hang onto them. Do you know where to go from here?" asked Bill.  
"No, I don't. Please tell me," I requested.  
"Well, you should go to Cerulean City to challenge that Gym Leader's water Pokemon. Then, I suggest you take back Pesky, Charmander, and Rattata to give them a workout. Okay?" suggested Bill.  
"Don't I have to go through Mt. Moon to get there?" I pointed out.  
"Yes, so I suggest you stock up on Pokeballs, Potions, and Antidotes and collect some more Pokemon," inquired Bill.  
"Good idea," I agreed. What Bill didn't know was I hurried through Viridian Forest to get here, so I was going to head back and get some Bug Pokemon. When I was done talking to Bill I got Squirtle and Bulbasaur and informed them what they were up against. "You both have the advantage, but never under estimate your opponent. Brock's a Gym Leader so his Pokemon have lots of experience. According to Bill, he has a Geodude at level 12 and an Onix at level 14." Squirtle didn't look too worried. Squirtle was at level 13 and Bulbasaur at level 12. "Bulbasaur will go up against Brock first. If he succeeds then I'll use Squirtle on Onix. If Bulbasaur loses I'll hope that you, Squirtle, can handle both of them. Do you think you're up to it?"  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle said very confidently.  
"Bulbasaur, bulba!" agreed Bulbasaur.  
"Okay then! Let's go!" I cheered.  
"Are you a new challenger? Asked Brock when we arrived at the door. "I hope you're a better opponent than that last kid was. Imagine! A Pidgey trying to beat Onix? That's ridiculous!"  
"I have to admit that is a bit foolish, but you'll be pleased to know I'm a lot more strategic than that," I scoffed. "Prepare to lose."  
"Go, Geodude!" chose Brock.  
"Let's do it, Bulbasaur!" I decided.  
"I see you have chosen a Bulbasaur. Very wise. You must have done some research. Geodude! Defense Curl now!" commanded Brock.  
"You can raise your defense all you want an it won't work," I taunted. "Bulbasaur! Razor Leaf, now!" about twenty very sharp leaves made their way toward Brock's Geodude. I knew that if they hit it would be a critical hit and I would probably win. It hit and Geodude fainted. "ALL right Bulbasaur! Come back you deserve it." Bulbasaur triumphantly trotted to my side.  
"I see you are very talented as a trainer, but no one can beat my Onix," said Brock. "Go, Onix!"  
"You thought my Bulbasaur was a tough opponent, you haven't seen anything yet," I said, smiling. I knew there was no way his Onix could withstand a powerful Water Gun blast from my Squirtle. "Go, Squirtle!"  
"Oh, no!" gasped Brock. "Onix, Bide! Now!"  
"Squirtle! Water Gun!" I commanded. Squirtle had no problem beating his Onix.  
"Very good job," said Brock. "Here is a Boulder Badge as proof of your victory. Also, I would like to give you this." He handed me a pamphlet with the words "Technical Move #34" written on it.  
"What's this?" I asked.  
"It's instruction on how to teach your Pokemon Bide. Your Pokemon takes damage, then pays it back double!" explained Brock.  
"Thanks," I replied, unable to think of anything else to say. Back at the Pokemon Center, I went up to Nurse Joy and asked, "What kind of Pokemon are in MT. Moon?"  
"There are a lot of Zubat and a few Geodude, Paras, and Clefairy," replied Joy. "By the way, I think you should take your Pokemon and go see the Museum of Science."  
"Sounds good," I said. "What do you think, Squirtle?"  
"Squirtle," Squirtle said while nodding his head.  
When I arrived at the ticket booth, I asked the manager, "Can I let my Pokemon walk around with me?"  
"Sure," said the manager.  
"Come on out everybody," I said to the Pokeballs as I threw them in the air. Out popped Charmander, Bulbasaur, Rattata, and Pesky. As we walked around we saw all sorts of fossils. Upstairs was supposed to be a space exhibit. It was great and when I was done, I called my Pokemon back and headed for Viridian forest.  
  
Chapter 5  
Forest Frenzy  
  
I decided on what I wanted to capture while I was here. A Caterpie and a Weedle. If I could, I wanted a Pikachu too. A little kid in the museum just kept going on and on about how cute they were. I found a Weedle.  
"Squirtle look," I pointed. "Go Bulbasaur!" Out came Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, Tack attack." The tackle made Weedle faint. After I threw a Pokeball, I captured him. I turned around and found a Metapod. "This place is crawling with bugs. Great! Bulbasaur! Razor Leaf that Metapod." The Metapod hardened her shell, so it was only half as effective as it could have been. "No problem, Bulbasaur! Just use Razor Leaf again." This time the Metapod was weak enough to capture. I could tell Bulbasaur was getting tired because he lay down at my feet panting. "Okay, Bulbasaur. Take a nice rest in your Pokeball."  
"Squirtle," Squirtle said trying to get my attention. "Squirtle squirt squirt." Squirtle pointed towards a Pikachu.  
"Good job," I thanked Squirtle. "Go Charmander!" Charmander appeared. "Charmander, use Body Slam to weaken it!" Charmander was quick, but not as quick as the Pikachu, who was able to get a Thundershock in to weaken my Charmander. Charmander didn't let me down, though. He used Body Slam and stopped Pikachu in his tracks. "Great comeback, Charmander! Pokeball! Go!" The Pokeball wriggled around a bit then stopped. As I went to go pick the Pokeball up, it disappeared. "What happened?!" I had to think this through a bit, and then remembered that a trainer is allowed to carry only six Pokemon at a time. The question is- where did it go? "I suppose that it went to where I transfer my Pokemon at. That's at Bill's home. I'll have to give him a call when I get back to Pewter City." I looked down at my Pokeballs. Metapod's wasn't there. "She must be with Bill too."  
"Pokeball, go!"  
"Now who do you suppose said that?" I asked Squirtle. Squirtle shrugged.  
"Char char," said Charmander. "Charmander." "Charmander." I looked at where Charmander was looking. Then I saw Ash dancing around with a Pokeball in his hand. A girl was with him, looking a little embarrassed.  
"Hey, Ash!" I said trying to get his attention. "Over here!"  
"Who's there?" Ash said looking around a bit. "Oh, Meadow, I mean, Squirtel! Hi! I just caught my second Pokemon!"  
"Your second?" I asked in disbelief. I guess I looked a little dumbfounded because Ash looked at me and asked, "Yeah my second, why? How many do you have?"  
"I've just caught my eighth," I replied logically. "I have Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Spearow, Rattata, Metapod, Weedle, and now Pikachu. Who did you catch?" Ash just stood there and stared. Then the girl spoke up.  
"My name is Misty," she introduced herself. I was pretty obvious that Ash was too shocked to do it. "He just caught a Pidgeotto. Earlier he caught a Caterpie. You have an awful lot of Pokemon. When did you start training?"  
"I started a few months ago," I answered. "Professor Oak lent me a Squirtle to catch a Charmander with. When I caught the Charmander, I used him to catch a Bulbasaur, and Bulbasaur to get my Squirtle. I used Charmander to get Pesky, my Spearow, and Squirtle to get Rattata. I used Bulbasaur to catch Weedle and Metapod. Finally I used Charmander to catch Pikachu." Misty seemed very I impressed.  
"I collect Water Pokemon. I have a Staryu, Starmie, and Goldeen," she told me. "Your Squirtle is adorable! It's so cute!"  
"I want to battle you right now," Ash challenged me. I was hoping he'd want to battle. "One Pokemon each, okay?"  
"Right," I accepted. "For my first Pokemon, I'll choose Bulbasaur."  
"Then I'll choose Pikachu," he decided. I knew I would win now.  
"Bulbasaur, Double-Edge, now!" I commanded. Bulbasaur used a lot of force to make a powerful tackle attack.  
"Pikachu, Thundershock!" Ash ordered. It hit, but it wasn't very effected.  
"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" I instructed. It was enough to win the match. Ash was shocked. "I guess I should have mentioned that I already have a badge, see?" I showed them my Boulder Badge with pride. "As a consultation prize, I'd like to give you this." I gave Ash my TM. I didn't think I'd have much use for it.  
"Where are you going to now?" asked Ash once he had regained his senses.  
"I have to go through Mt. Moon," I answered. "I want to catch some more Pokemon. You can never have enough."  
"Good luck," said Misty. "I hope we battle sometime."  
"Me too," I decided. "Bye!"  



	2. Chapters 6-9

Chapter 6  
Mt. Moon Mania  
  
I had decided that for my trip through Mt. Moon I would have Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Pikachu, Pesky, and Metapod accompany me on my trip.   
As I was walking by I saw a sign. It said, "Watch your stuff! Items are easily lost inside this mountain." I guess I realized at that moment the importance of a good backpack. As I was walking around I noticed two items in front of me. One was a bottle of Potion. The other was a Technical Move pamphlet. I looked around and didn't see anyone.   
"Finders keepers," I said logically. The TM was TM 12, Water Gun. "I wonder which Pokemon don't know Water Gun, but can learn it." I reach for the book on Pokemon that was in my backpack. " It says here that Rattata, Raticate, Nidorina, Nidoqueen, Nidorino, Nidoking, Clefairy, Clefable, Jigglypuff, Wigglytuff, Meowth, Persian, Cubone, Marowak, Lickatung and a whole bunch more can learn Water Gun. I think I'll teach Rattata. It says here that you place the instructions in front of the Pokemon and in five minutes they will know that attack. When I get to Cerulean City I'll teach Rattata."   
I kept on walking until I saw a ladder. I was going to explore the first floor before I went any deeper. I kept on walking until I found another item. It was another Potion, so I kept it. I walked some more and found some Rare Candy. "It says that when you feed a Pokemon a Rare Candy they grow one level," I repeated from my book. "I suppose I should give this to the lowest level Pokemon with us. Hmm. That would be Pikachu. Then again I want Metapod to evolve into Butterfree as soon as possible. What do you think Squirtle?"  
"Squirtle squirtle squirt squirt squirtle squirt," said Squirtle. I didn't know it, but he was saying, "Give it to whoever deserves it!" He pointed to my watch.  
"You'll tell me... Later?" I guessed.  
"Squirtle!" smiled Squirtle. "Squirtle squirtle squirt squirt!" (Yes! I think you're getting good at understanding!)  
As I was walking on, enjoying my little hike, I saw yet another item. I was just about to go claim it when a man stopped me.  
"Hey? Who are you?" questioned the man. "I'm Frank. Let's battle!"  
"Sure!" I accepted.  
"Zubat! I choose you!" picked Frank.  
"Then I choose Pikachu!" I selected.  
"Zubat! Leach Life!" Frank told Zubat. I watch about five Hit Points get drained from Pikachu. A minor hit.  
"Pikachu! Thunder Jolt!" I directed Pikachu. It was super effective. Zubat fainted in one hit.  
"In that case I'll use Geodude! Go!" called Frank.  
"Pikachu! Return!" I commanded. "Squirtle! Go!"  
"Geodude! Defense Curl now!" Frank yelled.  
"Oh, not this again," I sighed. At this rate I'd never get into an exciting battle. "Okay, Squirtle! You know what to do!" Squirtle used his Water Gun to instantly faint Geodude.  
"Oh, Geodude!" said Frank in shock. "My Geodude never fails. What happened?"  
"It's simple," I explained. "Rock is very weak to water elements. Besides, my Squirtle was at a higher level."  
"I see I need to train my Geodude more," admitted Frank. "Here, let me give you something for winning. I don't need it anyway." Frank handed me a Moon Stone.  
"What does this do?" I asked.  
"You use it on certain Pokemon to make them evolve," explained Frank. Since I didn't know which Pokemon to use the Moon Stone on I looked in my Pokemon Facts book.  
"This says that the Moon Stone is only 1 of 5 different evolutionary stones," I quoted. "The Moon Stone can be used on Nidorina for a Nidoqueen, Nidorino for a Nidoking, Clefairy for a Clefable and Jigglypuff for a Wigglytuff."   
As Squirtle and I were walking along we spotted a Paras.   
"I always did like Paras," I said in awe to Squirtle. "And now is my chance to get one. Go, Charmander!" Charmander appeared. "Charmander, Flame Thrower! Now!" Grass type Pokemon is weak against Fire types. "Pokeball, go!" The Pokeball jiggled a bit then stopped. "All right I caught Paras!" Then the Pokeball disappeared. "Bill has her now."  
As I walked along I heard someone talking to someone. They were talking about the directions and something about a team rocket.  
"Hello," I introduced myself. "I couldn't help but hear a little about what you were talking about. Could you please tell me how to get out of here?"  
"Sure," said one. "All the ladders are labeled here. All you got to do is take ladder E to ladder F. Then you have to do a lot of walking to get to ladder G. That ladder leads to the exit, but watch out. There are rumors of Team Rocket snooping around in here."  
"Who's Team Rocket?" I asked.  
"Team Rocket," said the other. "Is a horrible, rotten, evil gang. Their main goal is to steal Pokemon and anything of real value. If your not careful, they'll steal your Pokemon."  
"Thanks," I said appreciatively. "I'll be careful."  
As Squirtle and I where going down ladder E it got darker. Luckily, there were lights strung around to keep the place from being pitch black. When we got to the bottom I looked around. There wasn't much to see. Squirtle wasn't so confident.  
"Squirtle squirt squirt," Squirtle said trying to get my attention.  
"What is it?" I asked looking around. Then I saw it. "Oh my gosh, Squirtle! It's a Clefairy!" I quickly flipped through another Pokemon magazine. "It says here that Clefairy are considered to be very rare." I looked up. She hadn't run away. Yet.   
"Pikachu!" I chose. "I choose you!" Out popped Pikachu. "Pikachu! Quick, use your Thunder Wave to paralyze Clefairy." Pikachu is one of my fastest Pokemon, so it wasn't a surprise when Pikachu got an attack in first. The Thunder Wave paralyzed Clefairy, but Clefairy still had enough strength to use pound on Pikachu. It did more damage than I would have liked. Pikachu was still strong enough to use attacks. "Tackle it!" Pikachu did so to faint the Clefairy. "Thanks a lot, Pikachu," I congratulated him. "Pokeball, go!" It jiggled around slightly, and then stopped. "Yes! I got Clefairy!" I was very happy.   
"I wonder how everybody is feeling," I inquired to myself. "Well, let's see. Come out everybody!" In a matter of minutes all my Pokemon currently with me were in front of me. "Okay, who here is a little tired?"   
"Pika,"  
"Char"  
"Squir."  
"Okay," I said to them. " I think we should leave now." I followed the instructions on how to leave, but when I was just about to turn the corner, I saw a man, woman, and Meowth sneaking around. It looked like they were trying to dig things up. I knew that it was wrong to disturb the mountain's settings, because it would upset the balance in the mountain between it and the Pokemon.   
"Hey!" I shouted. "Don't you know that you're not supposed to dig up the mountain?"  
"Stay out of our business, kid," the lady snapped. "Were searching for fossils!"  
"Maybe so, but it's still wrong," I put in.  
"You obviously don't know who you're dealing with," the man said slyly. "Prepare for trouble!" chanted the woman.  
"And make it double," repeated the man.  
"To protect the world from devastation!"  
"To unite all peoples in our nation!"  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"  
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"  
"Jesse!"  
"James!"  
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"  
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"  
"That's right!" said the Meowth.  
I wasn't sure which thing to be most surprised at. The stupidity of that motto, that I was facing members of the horrible Team Rocket, or that a Meowth was talking.  
"This is way too weird for me," I backed off. "I'm outta here."  
"Not so fast kid," Jesse stopped me. "Now that you know what we're doing here, we can't let you leave without forking over all your Pokemon."  
"As if," I said angrily. "I'd never leave my Pokemon, especially to creeps like you! If you want them, you have to fight me!"  
"So be it," James retorted. "Go, Koffing!"  
"Go, Ekans!" Jesse picked. I closed my eyes. I can't use Pikachu, Charmander, or Squirtle. They were too tired.  
"Go, Bulbasaur!" I decided.  
  
Chapter 7  
Team Rocket's Tyranny  
  
I was just about to recall Bulbasaur, because I'd forgotten that Grass is weakened by Poison. Then I remembered that Bulbasaur is a mix of Grass and Poison. This would work out better than what I'd thought.  
"Ekans, Poison Sting," commanded Jesse.   
"Koffing, Poison Gas Attack," ordered James. Both of them launched their attack, but Bulbasaur just sat there. He was hardly even fazed.  
"Bulbasaur," I directed. "Vine Whip these guys outta here!" Bulbasaur picked the three up and threw them across the cave. At least far enough that we didn't have to worry about them again. "Good job, Bulbasaur. Do you want to stay out of your Pokeball?" Bulbasaur looked around in the darkness.  
"Bulbasaur bulba," said Bulbasaur as he shook his head. (No thanks.)   
"Okay then," I recalled it. "Go back in your Pokeball."  
As Squirtle and I continued to walk we saw something, but couldn't make it out. As we got closer we saw that they were fossils. I bent down to touch one. After all, it's not like you see a fossil everyday. I had just barely touched the surface of one when a voice stopped me.  
"What do you think you're doing?" the voice said. I turned around and saw a man. A rather nerdy looking man.  
"I was just-," I tried to explain.  
"You were just trying to take Team Rocket's fossils!" the man fumed. "Do you have any idea how much they're going to pay me for this!"  
"If you're working for Team Rocket, I'd call you pretty shallow," I pointed out.  
"SHALLOW!!!!!" the man screamed. "If you think I'm so shallow then I challenge you to a match. If you win I'll give you a fossil. If I win, though, you have to give me your badge."  
"That's a bet I'm not willing to take," I grumbled.  
"What?" the man taunted. "Aren't you good enough to challenge me? No matter. You have no choice! Go Golbat!"  
"Golbat?" I thought. "What an easy beat with Pikachu." I picked up Pikachu's Pokeball. "I know you're tired, but I need you now. Pikachu go!" Pikachu appeared.  
"Golbat! Leech Life!" ordered the nerd. Unlike earlier, more hit points were absorbed this time.  
"Pikachu! Use Thunder Bolt!" I commanded. Pikachu's Thunder Bolt wasn't enough to faint the Golbat, but it did a lot of damage.  
"Golbat! Leech Life again!" shouted the nerd. This time Pikachu lost a lot of HP. Almost all of it.  
"Pikachu! Use Thunder Shock!" I pleaded. This time Golbat fainted.  
"No matter," said the nerd coolly. "Go Geodude!"  
"Pikachu return!" I called. "Go Squirtle!" The nerd smiled. I was wondering what he had in mind. Then I found out.  
"Geodude," the nerd called, still smiling. "Use Self-Destruct!" In a flash, the Geodude exploded, fainting itself and Squirtle.  
"SQUIRTLE!!" I watched in horror. "No!" I ran to Squirtle and scooped him up in my arms.  
"Looks like you win," the nerd said laughing. "Claim your prize!" I gave him a mean glare and took off running. When I got to one of the fossils, I grabbed it. I was near the exit, so I ran out. I had to get to Cerulean City, fast!  
  
Chapter 8  
Finding a Friend  
  
I ran as fast as I could toward Cerulean City. Suddenly, I saw a boy. He had a Beedrill flying around with him. I ran past him, but when he saw me he started running after me.  
"What your hurry!?" asked the boy.  
"I have to get to the Cerulean City Pokemon Center," I called back. "My Squirtle needs medical attention." I was pretty sure that he got the message, but he kept following me.  
When I got to the Pokemon Center I quickly handed Squirtle and my other Pokemon to Nurse Joy. By the time she was walking off with them the boy ran in.  
"How's your Squirtle?" he asked while trying to catch his breath.  
"Nurse Joy said I got it here just in time," I replied, half-talking half-thinking about Squirtle. Then I came back to reality. "Why do you care?"  
"I hate to see a Pokemon get hurt badly," he said smiling. "My name is Izzy. This here, is Beedrill."  
"I'm Meadow, but you can call me Squirtel," I answered trustingly. Izzy's Beedrill came by me and landed on my shoulder, buzzing loudly.  
"I think my Beedrill really likes you," concluded Izzy. "Squirtel.... That's an interesting nickname. Where did you get it?"  
"I just like Squirtle, so let's just leave it at that," I groaned while rolling my eyes. "Are you a Pokemon trainer?"  
Izzy laughed, "Yes! From your Boulder Badge, I'd guess you're one too. Here is mine." Izzy pulled open the flap of his shirt to present his Boulder Badge. "It gets pretty lonely traveling around, so I keep my Beedrill out to keep me company."  
"I keep my Squirtle out, but for another reason too," I commented. "I found it makes Pokemon stronger with daily exercise. I use to keep a Charmander out, but I like to simulate them. I wish I could keep them all out, but I don't think I'd be able to handle them all at once." I knew he was hinting on something else. "The timing may be a little odd, but would you like to accompany me on my trip seeing as we're both heading in the same direction?" Izzy's face lit up with those words and I knew I had said the right thing.  
"Sure!" he beamed. Just then Nurse Joy walked in with my Squirtle and other Pokemon following her.  
"Your Pokemon are all at full stamina," she said cheerily. "You got them here in a very short time. I'm impressed."  
"Wow!" exclaimed Izzy. "You have a great collection! Let's see here. Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Metapod, Pikachu, and a Spearow!"  
"Thank you," I said appreciatively. "What do you have?" Izzy smiled again.  
"Well, let's see," Izzy said mischievously. "I choose everyone!" He threw up all his Pokeballs in the air. Out came a Spearow, Charmander, Oddish, Growlithe, Meowth, and the Beedrill he already had out.  
"Hey," I noticed. "You have a Spearow and Charmander too. Neat. Only my Spearow has a nickname. It's Pesky."  
"Cool," responded Izzy. "My Oddish's nickname is Palmpal." I laughed. "What's so funny?"  
"I think it's a really cute nickname," I said apologetically.   
"Hey guys!" I said to my Pokemon. "Izzy's going to join us on our adventure to the Pokemon League." All my Pokemon seemed pleased by this.  
A little later Izzy and I decided to plan out our battles.   
"There's three gym leaders," Izzy informed me. "They all use Water types. We'll each take on one of them. A different person each. I'm going to use Oddish, Spearow, Meowth, and Beedrill. What about you?"  
"Easy," I responded. "I'm using all my Pokemon except Charmander."  
"Then it's settled," Izzy decided. "We know our strategies, so let's go!"  
"Not so fast," I stopped him. "Let's do a little window shopping at the bike store." When we got there, we saw the prices and knew that window-shopping was the only thing we're were going to do.  
"A hundred dollars," Izzy said sadly. "I wonder if they ever go on sale." I looked around, and noticed two things. One was a flyer saying that they accept vouchers for a free bike. The other thing was a Pokemon basket. It was specially made for Pokemon about Squirtle's size.  
"As soon as I buy a bike I'm getting one of those," I pointed. "Just big enough for a Squirtle or a Beedrill."  
"Ya," Izzy said daydreaming. Then he looked up. "Oh no. The gym's closed. Looks like we'd better set up camp."  
Outside, a little bit farther from Cerulean City, we set up our campsite. After dinner, Izzy got out a book and started to read. I decided to show off, and grabbed my Pokeflute. As soon as I started to play Izzy stopped reading and listened intently. When I was done, he continued to stare.  
"That was amazing," he said breathlessly. I blushed. "I haven't heard anybody play the Pokeflute that well ever."  
"Thank you," I said quietly. "What's your talent?"  
"I'll tell you after our battle," he remarked as he snuggled into his sleeping bag. "Good-night, Squirtel."  
"Good-night, Izzy."  
  
Chapter 9  
What a Waterful Day!  
  
"There it is," I said in awe to Izzy. "I guess it's time we battled." As we walked in we encountered three women.  
"How can we help you?" asked the one.  
"We'd like a battle for the Cascade Badge," informed Izzy.  
"Fine," shrugged the second one. We were led to a large pool.  
"I'll take you," pointed the third one. She was pointing at me.  
"And I'll take you," chose the second one. "We'll go first. My name is Daisy. I chose Staryu!" A Staryu appeared in the pool.  
"I chose Palmpal!" decided Izzy. "Palmpal, use your Absorb!" Palmpal's Absorb worked, but not as well as Izzy had planned.  
"Staryu," shouted Daisy. "Use Body Slam." Staryu started spinning through the air fiercely in Palmpal's direction. It was a direct hit, and Palmpal lost half of his hit points.  
"Come on, Palmpal," Izzy pleaded. "Use..." He hesitated a moment. "Use Stun Spore!" Oddish released a spore in the air to stop Staryu. Then Daisy started laughing.  
"Staryu," she cockily said. "Jump in and out." The Staryu gathered up its energy to fall into the pool. Then, it jumped out as healthy as it started out. "I guess you didn't know that Stun Spore doesn't work if you wash it off. Too bad for you. Staryu, use another Body Slam!" The Staryu's Body Slam took all, but one HP away from Oddish.  
"Palmpal," Izzy begged. "Try to use Poison Powder, but do it closely."  
"Now, what do you suppose he meant by that?" I wondered. Palmpal walked up close to Staryu and sprayed his Poison Powder right on it. It stuck well enough that it couldn't be washed off. It didn't do any damage, but I knew that the poison would take effect soon.  
"Staryu," ordered Daisy. "Use Tackle!" Staryu tackled Palmpal to faint him. "Looks like the first win goes to me."  
"That's okay," replied Izzy. "Palmpal return! Go Spearow!" His Spearow came forth. "Spearow, use Fly!" His Spearow flew up into the air and dive bombed Staryu, taking major damage.  
"Staryu," instructed Daisy. "Use Water Gun." A spray of water came out of the top of Staryu. It did damage, but not enough to make Izzy worried. Then Staryu's ruby core began to lose its glow and fade. The poison was effective.  
"Spearow," commanded Izzy. "Use Peck." Spearow pecked Staryu and fainted it.  
"Well, that's the end of the first half of this battle," Daisy told Izzy. "We'll let your friend and my sister, Violet, battle now. Prepare you Pokemon for the next and final battle."  
"Looks like it's our turn," I said to Violet. "My name's Meadow."  
"I chose, Staryu!" selected Violet.  
"Oh, no," I stared in disbelief. After watching Izzy's battle, I wasn't to eager to meet up with a Staryu in battle anytime soon. "I choose Bulbasaur."  
"Staryu," she shouted. "Body Slam it!" History repeated itself. Bulbasaur lost a little less than half his HP.  
"Bulbasaur," I ordered it. "Use Razor Leaf!" It was very effective. Grass always has the advantage in battle over Water.  
"Staryu," she demanded. "Use another Body Slam." Bulbasaur was now down to his last bit of hit power.  
"Bulbasaur," I decided. "Tackle it." Bulbasaur leaped off the platform and landed on top of Staryu. I had won the first round.  
"That was fast," blinked Violet. "Okay sis. Your turn."  
"I chose you, Starmie!" picked Daisy. Izzy smiled.  
"Can I give some advice to my friend first?" He asked.  
"Sure."  
Izzy strolled over by me and said in a hushed tone. "If she uses Starmie, use Squirtle to break the ruby center. It faints Starmie instantly." He walked back to the arena. "I chose Beedrill."  
"Starmie, use Tackle." Beedrill avoided it.  
"Beedrill, use Twin Needle for the center." Beedrill smashed the Starmie's center. "Looks like I win. You're out of Pokemon."  
"Starmie return," Daisy said quietly.  
"I chose Starmie," chose Violet.  
"I chose Squirtle," I said picking up Squirtle's Pokeball.  
"Starmie, use Body Slam."  
"Squirtle dive in." Starmie missed Squirtle. "Squirtle, use Take Down on the center." Squirtle shattered this Starmie's core. "Now I win."  
"Good job, you two," said the third sister. "Here you are." She handed us each a Cascade Badge and TM 11. "TM 11 is Bubblebeam."  
"Thank you," Izzy and I said in unison. As we walked out, Izzy started to head towards the road out of Cerulean.  



	3. Chapters 10-14

Chapter 10  
Hail, Hail the Gang's All Here!  
  
"Geez, you're in a hurry," I indicated. "Let's at least take our Pokemon to the Pokemon Center." After we did that, Izzy turned to me.  
"Do you know a guy named Bill?" he questioned me. "He keeps my extra Pokemon."  
"Really?" I asked. "He holds onto mine too. Let's pay him a visit. He lives right on Route 24."  
"All right," he agreed. "If I'm not mistaken, there are Weedle, Kakuna, Pidgey, Oddish, Abra, Metapod, Caterpie, and Bellsprout in an area around there."  
"Then let's go meet the challenge," I said. I was pretty charged up at the idea of a quick battle. "We'll take turns battling. I'll go first." So we started up Route 24 when we ran into a familiar face. For me at least. It was the kid at Professor Oak's. He still had his cheerleaders.  
"Hey," I stopped them. "Don't I know you? You're that kid with the cheerleaders."  
"And you're that kid with the Squirtle," he snubbed right back. "Kinda scrawny looking. I bet I could beat it."  
"Ya, right," I jested. "I'd like to see that."  
"You will," he said. "But right now I see a more worthy opponent. I'm Gary. I'm sure we'll meet again." Then he was off.  
"Jerk," I mumbled under my breath. When we finally came Bill's house, we didn't even need to knock.  
Bill opened the door and exclaimed, "Well, if it isn't two of my favorite Pokemon trainers. I see you found each other and are now on your journey together."  
"How'd he figure that out?" whispered Izzy.  
"It must be obvious," I assumed. "That or he's been playing with psychic Pokemon." Izzy frowned. It wasn't a good joke. At that moment, my Rattata, Weedle, Clefairy, and Paras appeared at my side. By Izzy there was a Seel, Pikachu, Zubat, and Geodude.  
"Hey Izzy?" I asked. "Why didn't you use Seel and Pikachu at the match? They would have been great."  
"Oh," Izzy said embarrassed. "They're not at a very high level. How about we take our weaker Pokemon to the area where there's some Pokemon and train them a little?"  
"Sounds good to me," I shrugged. "I'll take Squirtle, Rattata, Metapod, Weedle, Clefairy, and Paras."  
"I'll take Beedrill, Pikachu, Seel, Palmpal, Meowth, and Charmander," he chose.  
"Good idea!" commented Bill. "Give them some exercise!"  
"Come on, guys," I called to the Pokemon. "Let's run to the area." So we ran, and all through the afternoon, all you could hear were calls of attacks.  
"Squirtle, use Bubble!"  
"Beedrill, Twin Needle."  
"Rattata, Bite."  
"Pikachu, Thunder Shock."  
"Metapod, Harden."  
"Seel, Headbutt."  
"Weedle, Poison Sting."  
"Palmpal, Sleep Powder."  
"Clefairy, Double Slap."  
"Meowth, Scratch."  
"Paras, Slash."  
"Charmander, Flame Thrower."  
"Hey, Izzy," I said getting his attention. "One more level and my Metapod evolves into a Butterfree."  
"Cool," he smiled. "Then Beedrill will have a new friend to fly with. Right Beedrill?"  
"Beedrill bee," replied Beedrill. (That would be nice.)  
"Squirtle squirt," Squirtle said happily. "Squirtle squirtle squirt." (Hey, Squirtel! I'm ready to tell you who to give the candy to.) I didn't understand, so Squirtle started smacking my watch.  
"You want to...." I just couldn't figure it out. "Tell me.... Something.... About one of the Pokemon..." Squirtle grabbed the piece of Rare Candy and held it to Metapod's Pokeball. "Oh, I get it. You're telling me to give the Rare Candy to Metapod. Well... If you think so. Here Metapod." I popped the candy into Metapod's mouth, and she began to glow. Then her hard shell cracked open and a Butterfree emerged! Metapod had evolved into Butterfree! "Oh, Butterfree! Come over here, please." Butterfree landed on my shoulder. "I want you to meet Beedrill. Beedrill, meet Butterfree." Beedrill flew over and started chatting to Butterfree and then they flew around some.  
"Congratulations!" Izzy said excitedly. "Beedrill is really happy now!"  
"Thank you," I explicated. "Butterfree's happy, too." As they flew around, our Pokemon thought this would be the opportune time to rest.  
"Are you guys tired?" Izzy teased. "Already? All right. We'll have a small picnic. Squirtel? Do you have any Pokemon food?"  
"Yup!" I said gladly. "It's fresh too. Here you go guys. I put something special for flavor in all yours."  
"You did?" asked Izzy. "Like what?"  
"Well," I explained. "I put berries in Butterfree's, Beedrill's, Paras's, Weedle's, Clefairy's, and Squirtle's. They all like the taste of sweet things. I put some spice in Charmander's. Milk in Rattata's, and Meowth's. Ketchup in Pikachu's, and some tree sap in Palmpal's."  
"It must of did the trick," Izzy said slightly amused. "They're gobbling it right up. Now, what are we going to eat?"  
"I'm having a cheese sandwich with potato chips and pickles on the side," I taunted.  
"Well," pondered Izzy. "Then I'll have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the same side dish." When we were all done eating, Izzy and I played a few games with some of the Pokemon, while the others napped.   
"Let's have a treasure hunt," I resolved. "I'll hide this Pokeball and you guys find it. Let's see here, who's participating. Hmm... Pikachu, Squirtle, Charmander, Clefairy, and Meowth. Okay." I hid the ball in a bush. Eventually, Charmander found it. By then it was getting dark.  
"Okay everybody," Izzy shouted. "Back into the Pokeballs." Everybody except Squirtle and Beedrill returned to their Pokeballs.  
"Hey Izzy?" I asked. "You said you'd tell me your talent. What is it?"  
"Well," Izzy drawled. "It's not much of a talent, but I'm a total computer whiz."  
"That's a talent," I argued. "I know a few people who don't know anything about computers. In fact, my neighbor couldn't even find the 'on' switch on his."  
"I'd rather listen to you play," he said cockily. "Please?"  
"All right," I smiled. We were already in our sleeping bags. He snuggled in and propped his head up on a pillow. As I played, I paid close attention to Izzy. He couldn't stop staring. It was like he was totally absorbed into the music. When I was finished it took him a moment to get himself back to reality. I was very flattered; it was nice to find someone who appreciated my skills so much. That night I thought about his computer skills and wondered if that really was all he could do, or if there was another talent he was hiding from me.  
  
Chapter 11  
Stop! In the Name of Us!  
  
"Where to next?" I asked Bill.  
"Let's see," Bill said. "Normally, I'd say go to Saffron City, but the guards won't let people through. There's a blockage, or something. Anyway, you should take the underground path to Vermilion City. While you're there you can battle Lt. Surge. He has electric type Pokemon. A Voltorb at level 21, Pikachu at level 18, and a Raichu at Level 24."  
"All right," I said looking at all my Pokemon. "I'll take Bulbasaur, Pikachu, Paras, Rattata, Clefairy, and...." Squirtle gave me a pleading glance. I smiled and shook my head. "All right, Squirtle. You can come to, but be very careful. You have the disadvantage." Squirtle puffed out his chest and pounded on his shell.  
"Then I'll take Beedrill, Charmander, Palmpal, Meowth, Geodude, and Pikachu," Izzy said confidently.   
"Good luck to the both of you," Bill called after we left. We had planned to make one more stop at the Pokemon Center, pick up some supplies at the mart, then leave. After we left the Pokemon Center we started toward the mart, but a scene stopped us.  
"Hey, Squirtel," Izzy said to me. "Look. It's Officer Jenny."  
"Hey, Officer Jenny!" I shouted. We walked over. "What's wrong here?"  
"Oh," Officer Jenny said pausing. "There's been a break in. I see you have Pokemon. Could you help us? Check the backyard for clues. We haven't been back there yet, because we have to get our Growlithe. They're at the Pokemon Center."  
"Sure," Izzy commented. "Let's go Squirtel." We entered the house and the victims explained that a member of Team Rocket had stolen a TM. She said if we find it, we could have it. We entered the backyard to find a man snooping around.  
"Stop!" Izzy and I shouted.   
"Go Beedrill!" Izzy directed Beedrill. "Knock him down!" Beedrill flew into the man's back.  
"Squirtle," I ordered Squirtle. "Use Water Gun to keep him down." Squirtle Water Gunned the ground. The man couldn't get up without slipping.  
"Great job kids," Officer Jenny congratulated us after the arrest. "Here is the TM you've earned. It's TM 28. That's Dig." We thanked Officer Jenny. After a trip to the mart. We made it to the underground path. Inside a girl was asking people to trade her a male Nidoran for a female Nidoran. We didn't have one so we followed the underground path. It was a bit dark, but not as much as Mt. Moon was. When we got to the other side of the path, Izzy decided we should go the Pokemon Center and rest a while.  
  
Chapter 12  
Lightning Fast Match  
  
The next morning, Izzy and I made plans for battling Lt. Surge.  
"I'll go today," Izzy proposed. "Then you can go tomorrow, after he gets his Pokemon revitalized." Izzy scooped up his Pokeballs and we entered the gym.  
"Well what do we have here?" a huge man snickered. "Two little kids." Naturally, we were greatly insulted. Fourteen years old is not a kiddy age, and is not to be provoked. After we explained our plan for battling turns, Lt. Surge grabbed up his Pokeballs.  
"Go, Voltorb!" he bellowed.  
"Go, Geodude!" Izzy shouted back. Geodude faced off with Voltorb. I wasn't sure what to expect. Lt. Surge's Voltorb was at a high level, but electric attacks have absolutely no effect. I decided this would be interesting.  
"Voltorb, use Self-Destruct!"' Surge commanded. In a brilliant flash, Voltorb exploded. It fainted itself and Geodude. Izzy frowned and called back Geodude.  
"Go, Pikachu!" roared Surge.  
"Go, Meowth!" Izzy said. "Meowth, use Pay Day!" A shower of coins distracted Pikachu. "Good, now Bite!" Meowth bit Pikachu's tail, causing Pikachu to go into a short frenzy.  
"Pikachu, use Thunderwave!" Surge fumed. Pikachu stopped dancing around and used Thunderwave to paralyze Meowth. But the battle was far from over.   
"Try to shake it off, Meowth! Use Scratch attack!" Izzy begged. Meowth shook his head and scratched Pikachu, for the win.  
"Pikachu, return," Surge shrugged. "Go Raichu!"  
"Meowth," Izzy said nervously. "Use Pay Day again." Another shower of coins fells from the charm on Meowth's head, but Raichu didn't lose its focus.  
"Raichu," Surge barked. "Use a Thunderbolt." This Raichu was very strong. The Thunder Bolts it could make made the ones I've seen my Pikachu do use look like puny static shocks. Raichu fainted Meowth in one hit.  
"Meowth return," Izzy said calmly. "Go Palmpal, use Sleep Powder." A bluish powder made its way to Raichu. After a few sniffs of the stuff, Raichu began getting drowsy.  
"Don't you fall asleep on me," raved Surge. "Use a Body Slam." After a scream like that, Raichu woke up immediately. It let itself fall hard on Palmpal. Palmpal was hanging on by a thread energy wise.  
"Palmpal," Izzy gasped. "Umm... Use Double Edge!" Palmpal got up and rammed into Raichu. It didn't do too much damage, and Palmpal fainted. Surge started laughing. "Palmpal return," Izzy said in a tranquil tone. "Go Pikachu!" Surge was hysterical now.  
"You think that baby Pokemon can beat my Raichu?!" Surge chuckled. "Raichu, Body Slam that thing."  
"Pikachu use Agility," Izzy said quickly. Pikachu dodged the Body Slam. "Now use Quick Attack." Pikachu sped up and ran in circles around the Raichu. Raichu was starting to get dizzy. Pikachu jumped out of the blurry circle and slammed Raichu to the ground. Raichu tried to get up, but failed.  
"The victory goes to Izzy," one of Surge's assistants reported.  
"Well of course," I said in my mind. "Izzy was great."  
Surge recalled Raichu, stared at the Pokeball for a few seconds, then looked me straight in the eye and said, "I'll see you tomorrow. As for you." Surge looked at Izzy. "This is yours." Surge held out a Thunder Badge. Izzy accepted it with a smile. When we were outside again I turned to Izzy and shoved him lightly.  
"You were awesome," I congratulated him. "I'm going to look sloppy when I battle now. How'd you keep your cool like that? I was beginning to break a sweat just watching you."  
"I just pictured myself holding this badge," he said coolly.  
  
  
Chapter 13  
What a Surge!  
  
I just didn't want to wake up. It was one of those days I just couldn't open my eyes for anything. Unfortunately, Izzy got up bright and early.  
"Wake up, Squirtel," he said energetically. "Today you face off with Surge."  
"No," I groaned. "Need sleep." Izzy stood there thinking about the cruelest way to wake me up. He found it. He slipped into my backpack, took out my portable CD player, put the headphones on my ears, cranked the volume as high as he dared go, and pushed play. I ripped off the headphones, jumped out of the sleeping bag, and said in as an angry tone as I could so early in the morning, "I swear, Izzy, I'll get you for that one!" Izzy, Squirtle, and Beedrill were laughing their heads off. I rolled my eyes and yawned. After a quick breakfast I let out my Pokemon.  
"All right troop," I ordered. "You are about to go up against Lt. Surge and his brigade of electric Pokemon. Be prepared. I'm going to have Pikachu give you all a good Thundershock to see how you take it. Except Squirtle. I know that if he gets zapped by electricity, he'll get fried." Squirtle shook his head in disagreement. I gave him a cocky glance. "All right, Squirtle. Take a hit then. But I warned you." I let Pikachu zap them all once. Bulbasaur and Paras took it with ease. Clefairy and Rattata cringed a little, but also took it. When it came Squirtle's turn, he hid in his shell. When Squirtle emerged, he was quite shaken up, but otherwise, fine. I was very happy. After a quick trip to the Pokemon Center we headed off to Surge's gym. Surge nodded at Izzy and me.  
"Go Voltorb," Surge blared.  
"Go, Rattata," I said confidently. I hoped Surge was going to do what I thought he was going to do. He did.  
"Voltorb, use Self-Destruct," thundered Surge. Once again, both Pokemon fainted. I snickered lightly to myself. What Surge didn't know was that he just fainted my lowest level Pokemon. Rattata probably couldn't put a dent in Voltorb anyway.  
"Go Pikachu," Surge hollered.  
"Go Bulbasaur," I said naturally. "Use Razor Leaf." Pikachu was hit, but only half of its HP was depleted.   
"Pikachu," Surge roared. "Use a Thundershock!" Pikachu's Thundershock barely affected my Bulbasaur. Pikachu stood and blinked a moment. Bulbasaur knew what to do. It used Vine Whip to grasp Pikachu and toss it around. By the time Bulbasaur was through with it, Pikachu had fainted. Surge retreated his Pikachu and brought out his Raichu. I had a plan for this.  
"Bulbasaur," I said quickly. "Use Leach Seed." Bulbasaur popped a seed out of the bulb on his back. It landed on Raichu. Now, Raichu's energy would be sucked away slowly and given to whichever Pokemon was battling.  
"Raichu," Surge yelled nervously. "Use Body Slam." Bulbasaur was fainted. I called it back.  
"Go Clefairy," I called. "Use Metronome." Clefairy started waving her fingers back and forth. Metronome was a very interesting attack. It could generate any attack known by any Pokemon. When Clefairy stopped waving her fingers, she lowered her head and rammed into Raichu. Clefairy must of used the Skull Bash attack with Metronome. Raichu shook it off and Thunderbolted Clefairy for a faint. I called her back and stared at Squirtle. Sometimes you just have to go with your instincts. Squirtle looked up at me, and I nodded. Then, Squirtle ran out onto the arena.  
"Squirtle," I choked. "Use Body Slam." Squirtle pulled into his shell, and spun around quickly in the air as he made his way to Raichu. It was a direct hit. Raichu got back up. Surge smiled. Just as it looked like Raichu was going to attack, it fell over and fainted. I knew the Leech Seed would work. Surge gaped at Raichu. With much disbelief he recalled it. I could hear a few muttered words about a Squirtle. Surge walked up to me and presented me with a badge like Izzy had gotten. I accepted it with great happiness.  
  
Chapter 14  
The S.S. Anne  
  
That day Izzy and I celebrated at the Pokemon Center by treating ourselves to a little ice cream. While we were eating I looked at the posters on the walls. There were four that got my attention. One was about the Diglett Cave. Another was for the S.S. Anne. The next was for the Pokemon Lovers Club. The last one was a want add for a Spearow. It said that a kid in one of the houses around here was willing to trade a Farfetch'd for a Spearow. I found this hard to believe. Spearow were pretty common and a Farfetch'd were pretty rare.  
"No sweat," I thought. "I'll just go catch another Spearow and trade it." I let Izzy know my plan.  
"No fair," he complained. "I want a Farfetch'd."  
"I saw the ad first so I get the Farfetch'd," I explain. "First see, first serve. Then, we should check out that Pokemon Lovers Club." We finished our ice cream I grabbed up my Pokeballs and went in search of a Spearow. When I did finally find one, I had Squirtle use a Water Gun to almost faint it. It was a very low level Spearow. It tried to attack Squirtle, but failed. I threw a Pokeball at it and captured it. Then, I went to the kid's house. She had a Pokemon trading machine. I placed the Spearow's Pokeball on one end, and she placed her Farfetch'd's Pokeball on the other end. We swapped. When I got Farfetch'd he disappeared. Off with Bill, now. The girl explained that his nickname was Dux. He wouldn't do anything under any other name. We went back to the Pokemon Center to call Bill.  
"Hello there," Bill answered. "Yes, I have Dux here. I bet you want to know where to go now, don't you? Well, although they don't have a gym I suggest you go to Lavender Town. It's an interesting place, but I have something to ask you. Do you know the ship the S.S. Anne? It's a luxury ship." Izzy and I nodded. After all, it was a picture phone, so he knew we nodded. "I have two tickets here. I'd like you to have them. I hate formal sociable events." Izzy and I exchanged excited glances. Bill transferred the tickets to us. After we thanked him, we prepared ourselves for the trip.  
"Oh my gosh," Izzy said in awe as we looked up at the huge luxury liner.  
"Izzy, look," I said pointing at a sign. "It says that this cruise is only for Pokemon trainers." We shared an excited glance.  
When we got our room, I requested a pamphlet.  
"It says here," I read off. "That this ship has a dining hall, dancing floor, Pokemon trading area, and a battle arena!" We were all smiles. Just about everything we would want for a ship. I read on. Then I came to something that excited me greatly. "A karaoke!!!" I screamed. I was ecstatic. Izzy turned pale.  
"Umm," he said shakily. "I never heard you sing before. T-that would be nice."  
"I want you to sing too," I proposed. "Izzy? While are you so pale? Are you sick?" He looked down at his feet.  
"No," he said solemnly. "I just don't like to sing in front of people. I probably wouldn't mind if it were just you, but... All those strangers..." I went over to him and held his hand to try and comfort him.  
"Izzy," I said soothingly. "That's the thing about strangers. They don't know you. They can't make fun of you and you'll never see them again. Don't be afraid." He looked up and smiled.  
"Do you mean it?" he asked hopefully.  
"Of course," I said firmly. "That's the only way I got over being afraid. If it helps you feel any better, try to block out everyone else and focus on something that makes you feel more comfortable." Izzy wiped his eyes, smiled, and gave me a hug.  
"Thanks, Squirtel," he said appreciatively. "You know just what to say to make me feel better."  
"Let's practice," I said cheerily. I went to the radio and tuned it in to one of my favorite stations. The radio blared, "This is Poketrainer songs at 48.3 POKE. We'll now play, "What Kind of Pokemon Are You?" The music blared. I decided I'd go first.  
"What kind of Pokemon are you? How do you do the things you do?" I sang out. "Share with me your secrets deep inside. What kind of Pokemon are you?" Izzy stared and listened immersed in the music. I sang every word perfectly. "Get 'em in my Pokeball. What kind of Pokemon are you?" When I ended, Izzy didn't take his gaze off of me.  
"You sing very well," he commented softly. "I'm very impressed. You have a lot of musical talent." I blushed.  
"Your turn," I pointed out. He cringed slightly, so I gave him a reassuring look. The radio continued, "If you like that, you'll love this. Here's "Together Forever."  
As the music started, Izzy took a deep breath.  
"You've been such a good friend," he sang out. "I've known you since I don't know when. We've got a lot of friends. But they come and go." I couldn't believe my ears. He was extremely good. When he finished, he hid his face in his hands.  
"I was horrible," he said woefully. "Right?"  
"Izzy," I said stunned. "Let me put it this way. Next to you, I sound really bad." He looked up bewildered.  
"B-but," he stuttered. "You're so good."  
"My point exactly," I said happily. "Let's just be fair and call each other great, okay?" He nodded. I looked at the clock. "Let's get ready to go. If we leave now, we can talk to some people and get some dancing in. I hope you know how to dance." He nodded. "Good. Let's get dressed and go." I slipped into the bathroom with my backpack. I decided to wear a gown. It was full length, blue, and made of silk. It cost me, what seems, ten years worth the allowances, but it was worth it. I never saw a more beautiful dress. I got dressed, and heard a knock. That was the sign that I could come out. When I emerged, Izzy was dressed in a tuxedo. I put my hand to my mouth to try and stifle a giggle. He didn't look anything like himself. He gazed at my dress with his mouth open. I would have corrected his manners, but I decided to take it as a compliment. I walked over to Izzy, and teasingly put my arm in his.  
"Shall we?" I waved. He caught on and grinned.  
"Yes," he said loftily. I knew he was just joking around too. I giggled as he opened the door and waved me through.  
"So," I thought. "He thinks he can play this politeness game as well as me. We'll see. If he's like most guys, he won't last the whole night without acting piggishly. He'll crack." I gave him a cocky glance. He winked back. "We'll see."  



	4. Part 2- Chapter 16

The S.S. Anne  
Part 2  
The room was exhilarating. Trainers everywhere. I decided to keep Squirtle out of his Pokeball, but there was one problem. Nearly every trainer had a Pokemon with them. We had a plan, though; Izzy followed it through with Beedrill. I had some hair scrunchies with me. I put one on Squirtle's tail, and one on my wrist. Both were red. I put a blue one on Beedrill, and a blue one on Izzy's wrist. Now, we'd know who owned what Pokemon. I saw a trainer walking around with his Squirtle in his arms. He was telling everyone that his Squirtle had the strongest and shiniest shell.  
"Let's show that kid what a real Squirtle looks like," I said to Squirtle in a haughtily tone. Squirtle jumped into my arms laughing. "Hey, kid!" I called. "My Squirtle's the best!" He smiled devilishly and strolled over.  
"My name is Deven," he said competitively. "And my Squirtle is the best of the best."  
"Meet the best of the best of the best," I said trying not to burst out laughing. Squirtle had to bite his tongue pretty hard too.   
"Let's see," he said hotly. "Squirtle! Drop test." This would be interesting. The Squirtle pulled into its shell, and Deven dropped it. It landed on its back, but got back out unhurt. I gazed uneasily at Squirtle. Before I had a chance to do anything, Squirtle leaped out of my arms high in the air, pulled into his shell, and dropped to the floor with a deafening thud.  
"Squirtle!" I said worried. Squirtle popped out of his shell, unhurt and smiling. Deven just stared.  
"Umm," he said croaking slightly. "What a nice Squirtle, I have to go." He turned on his heel and walked away as fast as he dared. I laughed as hard as I could, while Squirtle was laughing triumphantly. Even Izzy and Beedrill were snickering.  
"Look at him run," Izzy said wiping his eyes. "I've never seen anybody so afraid of a Squirtle." He was bent over with laughter. Beedrill had landed on the ground buzzing and gave Squirtle a few high fives. Well... Technically, it was high one for Beedrill, since they only have one stinger on each arm, and high three for Squirtle, because they only have three fingers. I finally got over the hilarious seen, and looked around to see where that Deven had run off. I ended up catching a friendly face in the crowd. It was Ash and Misty. And Brock?!  
"Ash," I called. "Over here." Ash looked up and walked over by us.  
"Do you know these guys?" Izzy asked suspiciously. I nodded.  
"Hi ya, Squirtel," Ash said. "You remember Misty, right? And Brock?" I nodded.  
"I know Brock too," Izzy put in. Ash stared at him for a second. I suppose I'd forgotten my manners.  
"Oh, Ash," I said quickly. "This is my close friend, Izzy."  
"Close?" Izzy asked softly. "Really? Me?" I hadn't heard him.  
"Nice to meet you," Ash said extending his hand. Izzy smiled and shook it. Misty looked around and saw the fancy banquet.  
"Hey Ash," she chirped. "Look at all that food." Ash looked over. When he saw the spread he grinned a huge grin. Then he said goodbye hastily, and rushed over. Brock and Misty followed. I shrugged.  
"Kids," I sighed exasperated. "Let's go find the dance floor. We'll do karaoke later." We searched around a bit. It wasn't all that hard to find. What took us for surprise was the sign hanging in front of the dance floor.  
"No Pokemon, please," the sign read. We glanced uncertainly.  
"Hey," said Izzy in a pleading tone to Squirtle and Beedrill. "Could you guys please-" He didn't even have to finish. Beedrill and Squirtle nodded and returned to their Pokeballs.  
"That solves that," I said quickly. "Let's go!" Izzy nodded excitingly. It was a really fancy dance floor. We started dancing to a couple fast songs. All of a sudden I started shivering.  
"What's wrong," Izzy asked alarmed.  
"I'm just cold," I said reassuringly. "No biggy." Izzy touched my hand. It was shaking the most.  
"Your freezing," he said stunned. "Come with me." We walked over to the nearest heating vent. "Better?" I nodded happily. When I warmed up, we started to dance again. It was a lot of fun. There were all sorts of colored lights. A disco ball too. After the song we were dancing to was over, the lights dimmed. A slow song started to play. I knew this would happen. I was already a little embarrassed to ask Izzy if he would dance, but to my astonishment, Izzy made a bow, took my hand and asked, "May I have this dance?" I giggled.  
"Trying to be a gentleman again, eh," I thought. "All right. I'll play along." We stepped out onto the dance floor. I put my hands on his shoulder, while he put his hands on my waist. It was a very pretty song. A new hit. It was called, "What I Would I Do Just to Please You." I really liked it.  
"It's a very pretty song," Izzy said trying to make small talk. I nodded. As much as a chatter box I can be, I could never seem to talk when it was most important. Oh, well. In situations like this, silence is golden anyway. I closed my eyes and soaked the music into my thoughts. When I opened my eyes, Izzy was doing the same.  
"Hmm..." I thought. "I can see that tonight is a battle of courtesy. Let's see what I have to do to make Izzy act more like a boy. He's starting to win. Let's see what I have to do to make him sweat a little." I thought up a perfect plan. I would do it at the next slow song. No point in ruining to first one. We needed to enjoy at least one slow song together. Izzy opened his eyes again, and smiled contentedly.  
"That dress makes you look like an angel," he said quietly. I thanked him. I didn't receive that kind of a compliment often. I now felt a little guilty about what I was going to do. I still had to put it in motion. I needed to see how well Izzy does under pressure. When the song ended, the DJ came on over a speaker to tell everyone that he would now play another slow song for "the happy couples." The music started up again. Izzy hadn't left his position of slow dancing. Time for me to act.  
"I think you've been a wonderful gentleman tonight, Izzy," I said coyly. "Thank you." I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Izzy paused a moment, touched the spot where I had kissed him gingerly with his fingertips, and smiled.  
"Your very welcome," he said with his eyes closed. I was shocked. He didn't make a face, or complain, or anything. I was very amazed at how he handled the situation.  
"Good," I thought. "It's always an advantage to have someone like that with you." The DJ interrupted the song with a message that he would be playing another slow song since there was so many "lovebirds dancing." I mentally groaned. DJs can be so corny sometimes. "I wonder if people think Izzy and I are a couple?" I pushed the thought out of my mind and kept dancing.  
"After this," he said gently. "We should grab a bite to eat." I nodded. A few minutes later the song had ended.   
"Oh," he added. "And thank you for the kiss." He leaned over quickly and kissed me back on the cheek. Now it was my turn to pause and take it in. I smiled. I don't know why, but I enjoyed the moment intensely. I shook myself out of the dazed state I was in and made my way to the door with Izzy. We let Squirtle and Beedrill back out of their Pokeballs.  
  
  
  
The S.S. Anne  
Part 3  
"Oh waiter," Izzy said as he caught the sight of one. "Could we have a table for two with two booster seats for our Pokemon?" The waiter glanced down at our Pokemon.  
"Certainly," he said quickly. As we were being led to our table, I glanced around. It looked like a normal dinner party, but something just didn't feel right. The air felt tense. The waiter slipped behind a door. When he came back he informed us that they were full up, and should come back later. Izzy was just about to say something when I shook my head, indicating that we'd come back later.  
"Let's go watch a battle," I said tugging on his arm. Izzy glared at the door and followed.  
A voice over the speaker was making an announcement. It said, "Attention, ladies and gentlemen! Please, report to the main hall. That is all." We walked over to the main hall. It was nearly full with people. I picked Squirtle up and carried him around in my arms. Izzy had Beedrill land on his shoulders. Then many of the waiters and servants ripped their uniforms off to reveal that they were all members of Team Rocket. They all demanded that we hand over our Pokemon. Then I heard a familiar voice. It was Ash again.  
"We can't just stand here and let them take our Pokemon!" he chanted. "Let's all attack." Izzy and I nodded.  
"Go Charmander!" Izzy shouted. A pyramid of Charmander used their Flame-Throwers.  
"Go Squirtle!" I shouted. A pyramid of Squirtle used their Water Guns. "Go Bulbasaur!" A pyramid of Bulbasaur used their Vine Whips. It went on like that until we had defeated all the members of Team Rocket.  
"The boat is sinking!" someone shouted. It was true. Everybody made a mad dash for the lifeboats. I recalled Squirtle while Izzy recalled Beedrill.  
"Come on!" Izzy yelled, grabbing my hand. "We gotta get off of the ship!" We ran as fast as we could, and were seated in a life raft when we got to the edge of the boat. It was two people per life raft. Izzy and I watched as the ship capsized and sank.  
"If anybody has Water Pokemon, please let them out and attach the rope in your boat to them," the captain instructed. "Tell them to swim north, to get to Vermilion City. We should be there by morning." I let Squirtle out of his Pokeball and gave him the instructions. Izzy let Beedrill out so he could fly and tow us there.   
There were blankets in the raft, so I put one over me. I still couldn't stop shaking. Izzy looked over.  
"Are you all right?" he asked. He was shaking too.  
"Yeah," I replied. "Just cold."  
"Me too," he said and he held my hand. Just like mine, it was very warm.  
  
Chapter 15  
Squirtel is Sick  
  
Fresh air.  
"I can't believe that any of that just happened," Izzy said dazed.  
"I can't either," I said. "I think we should inform Bill on everything that's transpired."   
Izzy nodded and replied, "We can take the underground path back."   
"First, I wanted to check out that Pokemon Lovers' Club," I decided. "It sounds interesting."   
"Haven't you had enough site seeing?!" he groaned. I shook my head. "What time is it? It's still dark. I hadn't expected to get back that fast."  
"It's 5:00 AM," I reported. "I'm dead tired. Let's get some shut-eye first." Izzy nodded in agreement. We set our camp up just a little bit farther from the city limits. As tired as I was, I couldn't sleep well. My throat ached badly. I stumbled out of my sleeping bag to my backpack so I could get a cough drop to sooth my throat. I didn't find any, to my dismay. I glanced at my watch again. Now it was 5:55 AM. The store was open. I sighed heavily. Izzy and I were both so tired we had just fallen asleep in our clothes, so there was no need to dress. I didn't want to wake Squirtle up, so I just grabbed three of my Pokeballs at random. I tried to be quite, but I woke Izzy up anyway.  
"Squirtel?" he asked groggily. "What's the matter?"  
"Nothing," I whispered. "I'm just going to the mart to pick up some cough drops. Go back to sleep." Izzy opened his eyes a crack.  
"Now?" he asked, half asleep. "Go back to bed." I just ignored him. Izzy was obviously still too asleep to understand that I would only be gone for about five minutes. By the time I had left, I assumed that Izzy had gone back to sleep. I assumed wrong.   
"Wait up, Squirtel," Izzy said yawning. I rolled my eyes in disbelief.  
"Izzy," I said exasperated. "Go back to bed." Izzy shook his head. "I don't need a chaperone."  
"You don't know that," Izzy said still yawning. "Besides, I need a few things too." We stopped by the mart and paid for our things. It was nearly morning when we got back to our campsite. By now, my throat was throbbing. I couldn't seem to stop coughing. At least I had my cough drops. I unwrapped one and popped it into my mouth. Izzy had crawled back into his sleeping bag. It didn't take long for me to fall back into sleep either.  
  
Later...  
I could feel someone staring at me. I could barely open my eyes. Izzy was standing over me, and he looked a little worried.  
"Squirtel," he said softly. "You don't look very good." I groaned and pulled my blanket over my head. Izzy just went over to his backpack and pulled out something.  
"Here," he said holding a thermometer in front of my face. I didn't feel well at all. I didn't need a thermometer to tell me that. Still... I would like to see how sick I was. Reluctantly, I stuck the thermometer in my mouth. Izzy picked my hand up so he could see my watch. I wanted to tell him that he could just take it off my wrist, but I knew that I couldn't talk with a thermometer in my mouth. After what felt like an eternity, Izzy pulled the thermometer out of my mouth. I glanced up at him. He didn't look too happy.  
"You have a fever," he said clucking his tongue. I felt like I had a fever. "You'd better get dressed in your pajamas."  
Izzy and I had devised a smart plan for dressing. Who ever got up first, would string a blanket between two trees or whatever was around and get dressed behind that. I thought is was a clever idea, and Izzy had agreed.   
I closed my eyes. There was no way I wanted to move. Izzy got up and strung the blanket up.  
"All right, Squirtel," he nagged. "Get up." I didn't want to, but I could feel Squirtle pulling on my hand.   
"All right," I thought. I sat up and was dizzy already. "Oh, well. I gotta do this some time or another." I got up and staggered behind the blanket and changed. When I finished, I tripped forward and, luckily, landed on my sleeping bag.  
"Are you all right?" Izzy asked alarmed. I nodded and climbed in my sleeping bag.  
"Izzy, what are you going to do all day?" I croaked. My throat ached badly. He just shrugged.  
"Relax," he said calmly. "Read. Listen to music." I gave him an inquiring look. "What? You thought I was just going to leave you here, sick, and go train?" He raised one eyebrow. "I'm not going to desert you so relax. Get some sleep." I yawned and closed my eyes. Izzy went over by a tree to sit down, and let out his Pokemon and mine.  
"The first thing I'm going to do is clean the Pokemon's Pokeballs," he thought.   
"I need you guys to be quite today," Izzy whispered to them. "Squirtel's sick." They all looked over at me. "So be good, and be quite." They all nodded. While Izzy was cleaning the Pokeballs he started to think about what he could prepare for me.  
"Soup," he thought. "Medicine." That was all he could think of. When he finished, he went to my backpack and pulled out some soup and cold medicine.   
"Charmander," he whispered to his Pokemon. Izzy got out a pot. Charmander walked over by him and watched as he put a some stones in a circle and a little bit of wood in the center. "Use your Flamethrower." Charmander lit the wood on fire.  
"Squirtle," he whispered to Squirtle. Squirtle hadn't left my side yet, but went over by Izzy when he called. "Fill this pot with your Water Gun." Squirtle filled the pot. "Thanks guys." Izzy dumped the contents of the box into the steaming water and stirred. I could smell the soup in my sleep. It was a nice smell, so I opened my eyes and stretched. Izzy looked over and smiled.  
"Good morning, sunshine," he said in a teasing voice. I was in no mood for humor. Right now, I just wanted some of that soup. I was about to get up, but Izzy stopped me.  
"Stay in bed," he advised me. "You need to rest. I'll get something for you if you need it."  
"I'd love something to eat," I requested.  
"It's not ready yet," Izzy apologized. I woke up for nothing. Drats! Then, I heard something. It sounded like a person was tramping around the woods we were camped out in.  
"Did you hear that?" I asked frightened. Izzy frowned and called Beedrill.  
"I did," he said sternly. "Stay here, I'll go check it out. Squirtle, keep an eye on Squirtel and the soup."  
"Be careful," my voice crackled. Izzy turned around and gave me a heart warming smile.  
"Don't worry," Izzy said. As he made his way into the forest, it didn't take him long to find the culprit.  
"You there," Izzy shouted. "Show yourself." The guy stepped forward. He was about Izzy's age.  
"What did I do?" the guy asked innocently. Izzy blinked.  
"Oh, nothing," he said relieved. "It's just that I'm taking care of...." Izzy glanced back to the location of the campsite where I was. I was out of earshot. "I'm taking care of my girlfriend. She's sick." The guy shrugged.  
"Sorry," he apologized. "I won't bother you. My name is Kody. Give my regards to your girlfriend." Izzy smiled guiltily. When Izzy returned, I asked him what it was.  
"It was just some trainer," he said coolly. "He gives his regards." I smiled at the comment. Izzy turned his back to me and stifled a giggle.   
"My girlfriend," the thought echoed in his head. He really liked the sound of that, though, he didn't know why. Just as long as I didn't find out about it. He looked over at the soup.  
"Soups on," he announced as he poured two bowls full. I enjoyed the warming meal, but afterwards I began getting drowsy again. Izzy noticed and grinned tenderly.   
"Go on and take another nap," he murmured. I drifted back to sleep. When Izzy thought I was sound asleep he smiled and whispered, "Sweet dreams, sweetheart."  
  
Chapter 16  
Making Tracks  
  
I opened my eyes and yawned. As usual, Izzy had gotten up before me.  
"How do you feel?" he asked anxiously.  
"Well, I probably couldn't run a marathon," I joked. "But I feel well enough to keep training." Izzy smiled happily.  
"Great," he replied. "We'll make a quick trip to the Pokemon Lovers' Club, since you've been dying to go, then it's back to Bill's."  
"Sounds good to me," I said stretching. After a quick breakfast, we headed towards town. There was one obstacle, though. A rude one.  
"Well if it isn't the Squirtle girl," I heard a voice ridicule. I recognized it, too. It was that brat, Gary.  
"What do you want?" I asked him.  
"Well, Meadow," Gary said in a snotty tone. "It is Meadow, right? Oh well. Who cares? What's important is the fact that I've decided I'd let you join my squad of cheerleaders. You'd have to stop training, but you'd be in the presence of a true master."  
I couldn't believe this weirdo kid had the guts to call himself a master.  
"Oh sure," I said sarcastically. "A real master. A master of morons! Forget it! I'd never join up with you!" I was going to walk by him, but he grabbed my arm.  
"You don't know what you're missing out on," he tempted. I tried to break free of his grip, but he had a good hold on me.  
"Let go!" I ordered. "I said no!"  
"Think of the possibilities," Gary continued, squeezing my arm a little harder. I cringed slightly in pain. Then, Izzy stepped forward and grabbed Gary's wrist. I could tell that Izzy had a strong grip too.  
"She said no," he said firmly. There was a tense moment when Gary glared at Izzy, as if it he wasn't going to let me go. Like a challenge. Then Gary's eyes dropped. He had lost. Gary let go of me and yanked his arm free. Then, he dusted it off.  
"It's your loss," he said carelessly. Then he was gone. Just like that. I rubbed my arm. It still hurt a little. Izzy turned his focus onto me. He picked my arm up and examined it.  
"Did he hurt you?" Izzy asked concerned. He noted the red spots and rubbed them gently.  
"Naw," I replied. "Just a little sore, that's all." I bit my lip. "And thank you, Izzy, for saving me." Izzy glanced back up and smiled tenderly.  
"No sweat," he said coolly. "Jerks like that need to be a little roughed up." I laughed. Izzy stopped rubbing my arm.   
"I'm glad you didn't go," he added quietly. "It means a lot to me." I was touched.  
"I would never go with some brute like that," I replied. "Especially when I have someone like you to travel with." My eyes locked with Izzy's for a moment. Then Izzy broke away.  
"Let's get moving," he said quickly.   
We headed into town again. It didn't take long to find the Pokemon Lovers Club. We knocked on the door and a friendly person appeared. She took one look at our Pokemon and ushered us in. We walked into a room that had a round table. At the table were a few people. Two of them had Pokemon next to them. A Clefairy and a Jigglypuff. The man at the head of the table, who was obviously the leader, got up and welcomed us. We entered the room and all the people started cooing over our Pokemon.  
"What a cute looking Squirtle!" one squealed in delight. "I just love those wide, innocent, amber eyes that they have." Squirtle soaked in the compliments. In the mean time, someone else was fussing over Beedrill.  
"What a cutie!" the other one chirped. "I love the colors." The leader walked over and patted Squirtle on the head. Then he turned to Beedrill and tickled him under the chin.  
"Hello," he said nicely. "I'm the leader of this club. Your Pokemon are adorable. I love Rapidash. They're very fast..." Izzy gave me a desperate look. This guy obviously was a talker.   
After about ten minutes of his jabbering he looked at the clock.  
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I've kept you waiting. Here, on behalf of the Pokemon Lovers Club, I'd like you to have these." He handed us two bike vouchers. We were going to oppose such a valuable gift, but he shook his head. "Don't worry about me. My Pidgeot can fly me wherever I wish to go. Good-bye now." We waved good-bye and headed for the underground path. I turned to Izzy and teased him.  
"I knew that going to that club would be beneficial," I laughed. "Now we have two bike vouchers. We can get a bike and one accessory. We never would have gotten it if we didn't go." Izzy groaned and shoved me. I stumbled sideways laughing.  
"Show off," he taunted. "Know-it-all." We had reached the other end of the tunnel, and walked towards Cerulean City. When we got to the Pokemon Center, we called Bill. It took him a while to absorb everything. When he finally came back to reality, he informed us that he'd gotten a gift for us.  
"You're always giving us stuff, Bill," I thanked him. "I feel guilty."  
"Don't be," Bill laughed. "I only do this for my trainers."   
"How many trainers do you have?" Izzy asked.  
"Just you two," he chuckled. "Here, I'll transfer the gift to you. It's an old fishing rod. I have two good ones somewhere around here, and I've ordered two great ones. Don't get too excited, it's only good for catching Magikarp." Izzy and I groaned. Magikarp were renowned as being the weakest Pokemon there is. All they could do was splash. The only point of having a Magikarp was to evolve it into Gyarados, one of the strongest Pokemon. The rods appeared and we picked them up and set them near our backpacks.  
"Do you have any Pokemon you'd like to transfer?" he asked eagerly.  
"First, where do we go now?" I asked. Bill thought a moment.  
"You go to Lavender Town, but there is no Gym there," he informed us. "It's just a place to rest at. Then. You take another underground path to Celadon City. Saffron City is still blocked. In Celadon City, you'll face off with Erika. She trains Grass type Pokemon."  
"All right then," I decided. "I'm going to take with me, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Spearow, Butterfree, Weedle, and..." Squirtle begged to come along again. This time I shook my head. "Sorry Squirtle, but I need Paras with me too." Squirtle looked down at the floor. "But... I'll think about it while Izzy transfers his Pokemon." Squirtle looked back at me with hope.  
"I think I know whom I want," he said confidently. "I'll take Beedrill, Spearow, Charmander, Palmpal, Growlithe, and Zubat." He picked up Meowth's, Geodude, and Pikachu's Pokeballs and sent them back to Bill, while Bill sent Izzy his Pokemon. I sighed.  
"All right, Squirtle," I decided. "You can come." I figured if Beedrill was going, Squirtle might as well too. I got my Pokemon from Bill, and we said good-bye.  
"There is an important fact I should tell you, Izzy," I mumbled. Izzy glanced at me alarmed.  
"What is it, Squirtel?" he asked.  
"I kinda live near Celadon City," I mumbled. Izzy brightened up.  
"Really?" he asked happily. "Will I get to see your family?"  
"That's the thing," I said embarrassed. "My family lives in America. I came to Japan on my own when I was ten to compete in the Indigo League. I went to Professor Oak's lab and he lent me a Squirtle. I caught Charmander. All I did for the four years after that was train Charmander, study a little, and help Nurse Joy out. I lived in the Pokemon Center with Nurse Joy. As for the studying, you know perfectly well yourself that after you turn ten, your schooling ends and you can do what you want. I just read up on Pokemon care, so I helped Nurse Joy out a lot." Izzy was shocked. "Where do you live anyway? You don't look Japanese either."  
"Well," Izzy started. "That's because half my family is American, and the other half is Japanese." I nodded as he went on. "I live near Indigo Plateau. I grew up there with my mom and dad. That's about it. Well... It did catch a Weedle when I was ten. I trained it until it became Beedrill. Then I caught a few Pokemon on a trip to Celadon City. I spent the next few years just training them. Then, about four months ago I decided to battle for badges. That's about it." I was stunned, sort of. I shook it off.  
"Then this will be a familiar place for both of us," I said cheerily. "Right now, let's go get a bike." Izzy smiled in anticipation.  
We walked back to the bike shop and gave them our vouchers. The clerk smiled and said we could each pick out one bike and one bike accessory. I chose a sleek blue one. Izzy decided on a rugged green one. We both picked out a Pokemon basket as an accessory. The clerk nodded and gave us both a helmet that went with the package. I adjusted mine, snapped the basket on the bike, and set Squirtle in it. Izzy put Beedrill in his. We rode off towards Lavender town on our new bikes.  



	5. Chapter 17- 20

Chapter 17  
A Ghost Story  
  
As we rode into Lavender Town, I checked my watch. It was just turning noon. I was amazed.  
"Izzy," I said excited. "These bikes sure are saving us lots of time. If we were walking, we wouldn't have been here until the late afternoon." Izzy nodded while catching his breath. We had just had a race and I had won. I checked on Squirtle. He was pretty dizzy.  
"I guess your not used to such fast speeds," I said sympathetically. Squirtle shook his head. I looked at Beedrill. He was dizzy and a little upset, and Izzy was trying to calm him down a bit.  
"Squirtle squirtle squirt?" Squirtle pleaded looking at me. (Could you slow down a little?) I nodded. He sighed and laid back into the basket.  
"Come on," Izzy motioned. "Let's go to the Pokemon Center." I followed him. We set our bikes in the bike rack and took our Pokemon with us. While we were waiting for Nurse Joy to finish giving our Pokemon check-ups, we decided to read a few of the signs posted.  
"I found one about a Pokemon Nickname guy," Izzy stated. "It says here, that if you nicknamed a Pokemon and you want to change it, he can teach your Pokemon to respond to their new name. What a... Umm... Interesting job he has." I picked up two brochures. One was all about the Volunteer Pokemon Center, and the other was about Pokemon Tower.  
"Read the one about the Volunteer Pokemon Center," Izzy requested.   
"It says here," I stated. "That it is a place where a group of people take care of abandoned Pokemon." I smiled. That was so sweet. "The one about Pokemon Tower says that it is a resting place for Pokemon that have died." My smile faded. I never had the misfortune of having a Pokemon die on me, but I know how sad they must feel.  
"Do you think that maybe we should pay our respects?" Izzy inquired. "I do." I nodded in agreement. Nurse Joy returned and said that our Pokemon where in tip top shape.  
"Nurse Joy," I said getting her attention. "Do you think that maybe our Pokemon could stay here while Izzy and I go pay respects at Pokemon Tower?" Nurse Joy nodded.  
"That's very kind of you," she complimented. "But there are rumors that strange things have been happening there. The story goes that a mother Marowak had to watch as her children were killed. Now her spirit haunts the Tower." I wasn't scared. True, ghost type Pokemon did exist, but I still don't believe ghost stories. Izzy wasn't very convinced either. He checked the clock.  
"We can stay here and sleep," he suggested. "Or we could try and cover some more ground and camp out again."  
"What's the weather, Nurse Joy?" I asked.  
"It's supposed to rain tonight," she replied looking out at the sky. It was settled. We'd stay at the Pokemon Center. It wasn't bed time, yet, but the Tower's visiting hours were closed. We'd visit the tower tomorrow. Now we needed to kill some time. I came up with an idea.  
"Izzy, let's teach our Pokemon a few tricks," I proposed. Izzy gave me a puzzled glance.  
"We have a few TMs," I explained. "Let's teach our Pokemon." Izzy nodded.   
I started searching my backpack for the TMs I had. I pulled out TM 12, TM 11, TM 45, TM 8, and TM 44. In that order, the attacks that they are where: Water Gun, Bubblebeam, Thunder Wave, Body Slam, and Rest. Izzy had TM 34, TM 1, TM 4, TM 19, TM 24, and TM 30. In their order, they were: Bide, Mega Punch, Whirlwind, Seismic Toss, Thunderbolt, and Teleport. Then we decided which Pokemon could learn what.  
I would teach Squirtle Bubblebeam and Bulbasaur Body Slam. Izzy would teach Spearow Whirlwind and Charmander Mega Punch. All we had to do was set the instructions in front of the Pokemon. They stared at it for ten minutes, even though the instructions said five minutes, and handed them back. We weren't sure if they knew the attacks.  
"We'll find out sooner or later," Izzy shrugged. It was starting to get late. I prepared myself for bed. When I was settled in I could hear Izzy trying to get my attention.  
"What is it, Izzy?" I asked sleepily.  
"I just remembered," he said cheerfully. "Tomorrow, we see your old home town."  
"Yeah," I replied nervously. I tried a light laugh to mask my nervousness, and closed my eyes and thought about tomorrow.  
  
Chapter 18  
Old Roots  
  
I got up early. For once, I got up earlier that Izzy. I suppose it was because I wanted to check out the weather. It wasn't raining; in fact, it never had. Once again, the weatherman was wrong. I shook my head.  
"Oh well," I thought. "At least the road won't be wet." When Izzy finally woke up we got ready to head into the small town I trained in.  
"What's the name of the town, Squirtel?" Izzy asked curiously.  
"Well," I began. "It's not really a town of it's own. It's just a smaller part of Celadon City. We all called it 'the Town' because it's a little bit far off from Celadon." Izzy nodded. I picked up Charmander's Pokeball.  
"Come out, Charmander," I said. Charmander appeared. "Here, Charmander, you can ride in my backpack. We're going to visit home." Charmander jumped for joy. Squirtle smiled. "When we get there, I'll let Bulbasaur out."  
"Why are you letting your Pokemon out, Squirtel?" Izzy quizzed.  
"I caught and raised these three in town," I explained. Once again, Izzy nodded. I wasn't sure if he understood this time, though. We hopped on our bikes and got going. Halfway there, we rested for a second. Then something caught my eye.  
"Izzy," I said. "Look, it's a Mankey. I wouldn't mind having one. Would you?" Izzy shook his head. That meant we'd have to do rock, paper, scissors to see who'd catch it. Izzy won.  
"I choose you, Spearow!" Izzy chose. The Mankey looked up. Spearow was flying around its head. "Spearow, use Fury Attack!" Spearow dove down on Mankey then rose back up. He did this about three times. Mankey was already tired. "Go Pokeball!" It wriggled slightly, and then stopped.  
"Good job, Izzy," I congratulated him. After the quick break we headed off again. When we arrived, my first impulse was to check on Nurse Joy.  
"Nurse Joy, I'm home," I called. Nurse Joy looked up.  
"Oh, Squirtel!" She cried. "Your back!" She went by me and gave me a hug. "I've missed you so much. Let me get a good look at you. My! You've shot up like a weed."  
"I missed you too, Joy," I hugged her back. "I'd also like you to meet Izzy." Izzy smiled.  
"My," Joy said slyly. "What a handsome young man. You certainly know how to chose your men, Squirtel." Izzy and I blushed while Joy laughed. "I see you've still got Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur. That's great." My three Pokemon were jumping up and down to get Joy to notice them. Joy bent down and petted them all. "What other Pokemon have you gotten?" I let out the rest of my Pokemon. Joy got acquainted with all of them. Then she turned and faced Izzy. "Now what do you have?" Izzy let out his Pokemon.  
"We have common interests when it comes to catching Pokemon," Izzy said nodding towards his Pokemon.  
"I see," Joy said matching the pairs up. "You both have a Charmander and Spearow. Are they the only matching pair?" Izzy shook his head.  
"We both have a Pikachu," he said. Joy looked up at Butterfree and Beedrill.  
"I don't think that's all," Joy said cunningly. Beedrill was flying close to Butterfree. Butterfree was giggling and moving away. Then, out of nowhere, Butterfree started doing some sort of weird air dance. Beedrill flew in circles around Butterfree.  
"Now that's something very odd," Joy said surprised. She could tell we didn't know what was so odd. "That's Butterfree's and Beedrill's courtship dances. The question is, why are they doing it for each other? You'd better call Professor Oak. He's and expert about things like this." I nodded and headed for the video phones. When I called Professor Oak and explained what was happening, he thought hard for a moment.  
"I've heard of things like this," He concluded. "It seems that Butterfree and Beedrill are so similar in many ways that there have been reports of Butterfree and Beedrill in pairs. It's rather rare. What you just described to me, is telling me that your Butterfree and his Beedrill are courting each other." I was shocked; so was Izzy. We just stared at each other and then at Butterfree and Beedrill. Professor Oak laughed.  
"Don't worry," he said reassuringly. "Nothing bad will happen. It's just going to be hard to separate those two now. I wish I could study them, but I know how crucial it is that they help you in training." We nodded in agreement. After we hung up we checked on Butterfree and Beedrill again. They were no longer in the air. They were on the ground chatting with Bulbasaur.  
"Why don't you keep them here?" Joy suggested. "That way you can show Izzy around town." I smiled and thanked Joy. Joy turned around and teased Butterfree and Beedrill. "I'm going to keep an extra special eye on you two." When we left, we could hear all our Pokemon laughing. I looked around. Not much had changed. I decided to check on a few neighbors. One in particular.  
I walked up to a house next to the Pokemon Center and knocked on the door.  
"Hello?" A woman answered. "Squirtel? Is that you? Why come on in!" We were ushered in. "Don't be shy. Your friend is welcome too."  
"Hello, Mrs. Sketchit," I replied. "Have you heard from Tracey lately?" She shook her head as she handed Izzy and me a cup of tea.  
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I know how glad he would have been to hear from you. You two sure do go way back." Suddenly, there was a ding from the kitchen. "Excuse me, I need to check on that."  
Izzy leaned over and whispered, "Who's Tracey?"  
"Tracey was my best friend growing up," I explained. "He'd come over and sketch the Pokemon after they were well. He tried to teach me, but I wasn't very good at it then. I suppose I've gotten a little better, but nothing like Tracey. His goal was to become one of the best Pokemon watchers." We finished the tea and left. I showed all of my favorite spots in town to Izzy. I saved the best for last, though.  
"Come on," I urged him. We were climbing up a hill. "It's a bit steep, but it's worth it."  
"It better be," he said panting. When we reached the top, I showed Izzy my favorite spot. It was a small stream with a miniature waterfall. There was an old tree that was perfect for resting on. It was actually soft in a way.  
"Oh wow," Izzy said in awe. I motioned him to lay on the tree. He laid down and let his back rest. I plopped down next to him. It was a very pretty sight.  
"This stream connects to a river where I caught Squirtle," I explained. The sun was starting to set. "This is the best part. At one point, the stream almost glows from the sun setting." And sure enough, as the sun set, the river started to glow in a golden radiance.  
"Thanks, Squirtel," Izzy said appreciatively. "I know this is really special and you wouldn't show this to just anybody." I nodded. He slipped his hand in mine. I wasn't sure what to do. Then it dawned on me.  
"Your very welcome," I smiled wryly, giving him a very quick kiss on the cheek. He smiled and squeezed my hand, making me blush and smile back. I slowly laid my head on his shoulder and we watched the sun set.  
  
Chapter 19  
Flower Power  
  
"Do you really have to leave so soon?" Joy asked sadly.  
"Well," I said trying to think of a plan. "We have been making good time on our bikes, right Izzy? Perhaps we could come back this way and stop for the night." Joy brightened up.  
"That sounds about perfect," Joy chirped. I gave her a hug goodbye and left for Celadon City.  
"You two are really close," Izzy observed.  
"She's like an older sister to me," I said unsure of whether I was happy or sad.  
"This time you challenge the gym leader first," he said cheering me up. It didn't take long to get to Celadon.  
"Oh, wow!" Izzy said in awe. It wasn't anything new to me, but I always felt a little giddy when I went to town. It was fantastic here. I knew what impressed Izzy the most. It was the Pokemon Mart. It was huge! It had six floors. But first things first. We had to challenge Erika.  
When we arrived, the girls at the door asked us a strange question.  
"Do you like perfume?" one asked. I shrugged.  
"It's all right," I replied. "Yeah, I like it."  
"And you?" the other one asked Izzy.  
"I don't wear it, if that's what you're asking," Izzy jumped back. "But it smells okay on girls." The two ladies nodded and let us through.  
"Hello," a pretty woman greeted us.  
"Umm, Ma'am," I asked. "Could you please tell us why those two ladies asked us if we liked perfume?"  
"That's easy," the woman smiled. "We manufacture perfume here." It made since to me.   
I glanced around and noticed something. The gym only had women in it. I subconsciously laughed. Poor Izzy, or lucky Izzy. I wasn't sure. When I checked on him, he didn't seem to notice.  
"My name is Erika," she introduced herself. "I've been told you would like a match with me." She glanced at me. Then she turned her gaze on Izzy. "You are going to battle me tomorrow." Izzy nodded. "Well, then. Let's get started. I choose Victreebel!"  
"I choose you, Bulbasaur!" I whipped my Pokeball.   
"Victreebel," Erika commanded. "Use Wrap Attack!" Victreebel extended a Vine to wrap Bulbasaur with. It worked and Bulbasaur was unable to move.  
"Victreebel, use Poison Powder," Erika ordered. It had no effect.  
"Bulbasaur, use Body Slam," I ordered. Bulbasaur smacked into Victreebel with a powerful force. It only did a fraction of the damage I hoped it would. About twenty-five percent of its HP was depleted.  
"Victreebel, use Sleep Powder," Erika instructed. Bulbasaur tried not to inhale the sleep fumes, but fell asleep regardless of his efforts. "Now Vinewhip for the finish." Victreebel fainted Bulbasaur, so I recalled him.  
"Go, Pesky!" I chose. "Use Fly!" Victreebel attempted to grasp Pesky, but Pesky had flown too high for Victreebel to reach. Then Pesky dive-bombed Victreebel. It was very effective.  
"Victreebel, use Poison Powder," Erika said in a singsong voice. Pesky hadn't learned Whirlwind so he was unable to blow away the toxic fumes. I didn't like the thought of Pesky fainting because of a Poison effect, but I had to hope that Pesky could hold on a little longer.  
"Victreebel, use Wrap!" Erika said pleased. Victreebel grabbed Pesky with its vine.  
"Pesky, use Leer," I said hopefully. Pesky's eyes turned a translucent red. Victreebel loosened its grip in fear. "Now fly twice!" Pesky dive-bombed Victreebel twice for the faint. Then Pesky fainted.  
"Go Tangela!" Erika chose calmly.  
"I choose you, Weedle!" I shouted. Izzy was staring in disbelief. I knew what he was thinking. Weedle was my weakest Pokemon.  
"Tangela, use Constrict!" Erika said dreamily. Tangela sent out its vines after Weedle.  
"Weedle, use Poison Sting before it gets you!" I said as quickly as possible. Weedle lounged at one of the vines with his stinger out. He pricked the vine, but Tangela got a piece of Weedle too. Weedle barely had any HP left. "Weedle return. Go Butterfree!" At the sound of Butterfree, Beedrill perked up. "Butterfree, use Confusion!" Butterfree glowed an eerie purple as she focused her mental powers at Tangela. Tangela got confused and started attacking itself. It soon fainted.  
"Tangela return," Erika said sternly. "Go Vileplume! Use Stun Spore." A cloud of yellow, paralyzing dust made it's way towards Butterfree.  
"Butterfree, use Whirlwind!" I cheered. She blew the dust away. "Now, use your Stun Spore." Butterfree flapped her wings to release toxic dust at Vileplume and it became paralyzed.  
"Vileplume do something!" Erika pleaded. Vileplume was unable to move.  
"It's over," I shook my head. "Butterfree, finish it off." Butterfree slammed into it a couple times and fainted Vileplume. Erika, stunned, recalled Vileplume and gave me the Rainbow Badge. I accepted it with pride.  
Outside, I let my Pokemon out to congratulate them. As I turned to Weedle, he started glowing. Then, he evolved into Kakuna! It had turned out to be a great day. I got my badge and a new Pokemon in the same day!  
  
Flower Power  
Part 2  
  
Izzy got ready for his battle with Erika that he would have later. He had his Pokemon picked out already. In the mean time, I was checking over my new Kakuna.  
"Beedrill," I called. Beedrill pricked his antenna up. "Come over here." He buzzed over. "Just think about it, when my Kakuna evolves you'll have another Beedrill to play with." Beedrill buzzed excitedly. "For now, you'll have to play with Butterfree." I picked Butterfree's Pokeball up. "Come out, Butterfree, and wish Beedrill good luck today." Butterfree flew around Beedrill making pleasant noises. "They're quite a pair, aren't they, Izzy?" Izzy looked up from his planning.  
"Uh-huh," he grinned. "Well, Squirtel, I'm ready to go. Beedrill, come over here."  
"Butterfree, return," I called her back. We headed off.  
"Hello," Erika greeted us again. "I see your ready to battle. Let's begin. I'll use Victreebel."  
"I'll use Charmander!" Izzy sent his Pokemon out.   
I glanced around the arena, seeing as I was too busy to notice anything last time I was here. I was a bit astonished at what I saw. There was nothing but flowers and sweet smells. There was even some calming music playing softly. I felt rather comfortable. I turned my focus back to the battle. Charmander had almost defeated Victreebel already.  
"Finish it off with a Skull Bash!" Izzy directed. Victreebel fainted.  
"That was quick," I thought. "I would have used Charmander, except I felt that all my Pokemon should get equal chances to battle. Charmander was already very strong." I had to concentrate on Izzy's battle. Erika had sent out her Tangela already.  
"Tangela use Bind," Erika directed. It wrapped its vines around Charmander and squeezed hard. Charmander reacted by swinging his tail around wildly to ward off Tangela.  
"Charmander, use an Ember attack!" Izzy commanded. Charmander fired a fireball at Tangela and fainted it.  
"Izzy is going to win this so easily," I thought. "It makes me look bad. Then again, I was using non-fire Pokemon. It's much harder. Oh, I better keep watching." Erika had sent out Vileplume.  
"Vileplume, use Acid," Erika instructed. Charmander was hit and weakening quickly. Izzy recalled him and sent out Beedrill.  
"Beedrill, use Twin Needle," Izzy smirked. It was effective. Erika was starting to worry.  
"Vileplume, use Stun Spore," Erika pleaded. Vileplume made a direct hit to stop Beedrill.  
"Oh, Beedrill," Izzy said in alarm. "Try to Tackle it." This wasn't hard, and it was unexpected by Erika. Beedrill allowed itself to fall from the sky right on Vileplume to knock it out. Surprised, Erika gave Izzy the badge and she then gave us TM 21, Mega Drain. Izzy and I left for the Pokemon Center feeling proud and excited knowing we were one badge closer to the Pokemon League.  
  
Chapter 20  
The start of something new  
  
After one more night in the Celadon city Pokemon Center, we went back to my home town. There, we let our Pokemon relax and have fun. I was enjoying a guessing game with Squirtle and Charmander when Joy pulled me aside.  
"I know something about you," Joy giggled. She looked at Izzy and closed the door. I was getting suspicious.  
"What?" I asked impatiently.  
"You like him, don't you?" Joy accused. I pretended not to know what she was talking about.  
"Who?" I asked innocently. Joy gave me a look.  
"Don't even try that with me, Meadow," she said sternly. "I know you like a book. I raised you for four years. I know you love Izzy." I pretended to be shocked. "Don't play dumb. I've never said anything to anybody before, have I?" I shook my head. She smiled. "That's better. Now listen closely, I'll take care of the Pokemon. I want you to take Izzy back to that spot you like and tell him." I shook my head. "Believe me, Squirtel. He's bound to find out sooner or later. Better it be sooner." I sighed. She always did know about how to handle these things. Might as well confess.  
"All right, I'll go now," I said. Joy beamed as I took Izzy by me.  
"I want to show you something," I whispered. He didn't question me, we just left. I decided to take the long way to my spot. On the way we passed a river. It seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't remember why right away.  
"Hold on, Izzy," I stopped. "This river... I remember a long time ago, I was playing by it with Charmander. We were throwing rocks in it. One of them hit a Poliwag by accident. The Poliwag got all mad and Water Gunned Charmander. Charmander wasn't strong enough and fainted. Then the Poliwag turned on me. It was going to attack me, but a Beedrill stopped it. It Tackled it and scared it away. I remember that there was a boy there too. He owned the Beedrill. I thanked him and asked what his name was, but before he could answer, his mom called. Then he left. I never found out who he was." I looked up at Izzy. He looked very flushed.  
"Squirtel," he spoke slowly. "What you described happened to me, too. About four years ago."  
"It was you, wasn't it?" I said in wonder. Izzy nodded slowly. I didn't know what to do or say. I suddenly leaned over and kissed him without even knowing what I was doing. Izzy didn't pull away or do anything.  
"Thank you, Izzy," I whispered. "You saved me."  
I always considered Izzy to be a slow, easy going guy. Not really into being a leader. I was better at that. What he did, just then, astounded me. He leaned over and kissed me back.  
"Your very welcome," he said slowly when he finished. It hit me then.  
"Joy talked to you too," I realized. He nodded. Now I was really at a loss for words. Once again, Izzy amazed me.  
"Meadow," he said quietly. He never used my real name unless he was really mad, or he was totally serious. He didn't seem mad right now. "Meadow, will you be my girlfriend?" A slow smile crept over my face.  
"Yes," I replied. Izzy stepped back shocked. He smiled and hugged me while I gave him another, longer kiss.  
"Come on," he said excitedly and grabbed my hand.  
"Where are we going?" I asked confused.  
"To the Pokemon Center," Izzy said back. "Joy got us together, she ought to know."   
"I think she planned this, Izzy," I said quickly. He shrugged.  
We made it back to the Pokemon Center just when it started to rain. Joy was ecstatic.  
"There is one more thing," she beamed. "Your Pokemon and I decided to do something special for you, Squirtel." She led me through a door. I stopped in my tracks and held my breath. My room. My old room had been left exactly the way it was when I left. Although, I thought I had piles of dirty clothes on the floor. It had all my old Pokemon posters and my old bed.  
"I had left this the same way ever since you left to start your Pokemon training," she explained. "The only thing I did different was put a cot on the other side of the room. After all, it's raining, and I was hoping you'd stay overnight." Coincidentally, that was the original plan anyway. I was very happy with today's events. The best ending to it all was now the fact that I got to sleep in my old bed. Joy turned to the Pokemon, Izzy's and mine.  
"Come on now," she said. "Let's let her enjoy her memories." Izzy started to leave too, but Joy turned to face him. "You should stay. I bet you both have a lot of talking to do." Izzy grinned. Joy turned to close the door, and winked at Izzy before she left. I just walked around my room a bit, then jumped onto my bed. It was heaven. The next step was to crank my music. My stereo was still there. I tuned it in to my favorite non-Pokemon stations and absorbed the music. Izzy walked over and sat on the bed.  
"I bet you're happy," he chuckled. "You're lucky to have Joy to take care of you." I nodded my head. I'm not sure if he knew it was to his comment and not the music. I turned it off when he got up and walked to the window.  
"It makes me a little homesick," he said sadly. I walked over by him.  
"If you really do live near Indigo Plateau, then we'll see your family when we head off to the Pokemon League competition," I comforted him. A million questions swirled in my head. I decided to ask a few.  
"What's your birthday?" I asked. He turned his gaze at me.   
"I'll be fifteen in September on the twentieth," he explained. "You?"  
"I'll be fifteen on August third," I replied naturally. "A few weeks."   
"Why didn't you tell me sooner," he laughed. "I want to get you a present."  
"Oh," I recoiled. "Don't go out of your way for me." He leaned over and tickled me a little, so I retreated to the nearest chair.  
"I want to," he pleaded. "Please?" He got down on his knees and begged me. I laughed and shoved him over with my feet.  
"Only if you want to," I teased right back. We heard a knock. Joy walked in and told us to get ready for bed.  
"I'm not tired," I yawned. Ironic how you always yawn when you say your not tired.  
"Tough," she laughed. "Now, march into that bathroom and change into your pajamas. Izzy can change here. He'll also sleep on the cot." After I changed and came back into my room, I laid down and turned the lights out.  
"Hey, Squirtel," I heard Izzy whisper.  
"What?" I whispered back. He didn't reply. I figured he hadn't heard me.  
"What?" I asked a little louder. Still nothing.  
"Izzy what is it?!" I said getting impatient. Nothing.  
"Fine," I said dejectedly.  
"Hey, Squirtel," I heard Izzy giggle.  
"WHAT!?" I asked loudly. All I could hear was Izzy laughing. I had enough of this. Reaching for the nearest magazine, I rolled it up and, in the dark, walked over to his cot and threatened to smack him with it if he didn't either shut up or answer me.  
"I'm sorry," he said sympathetically. "I wasn't sure how to say this without it sounding corny."  
"What?" I asked calming down.  
"I love you," he whispered. I tapped him on the head with the magazine and sighed.  
"I love you too, Izzy," I whispered exasperated. "Oh, and Izzy?"  
"What?" he called.  
"That did sound corny."  



	6. Chapter 21- 25

Chapter 21  
Shop 'Till You Drop  
  
I hoped I would get the chance to sleep in today. I should have known better.  
"Hey, Joy," Izzy snickered. "Watch me wake Squirtel up." Joy watched in anticipation. Izzy had devised a new cruel way to wake me up. He went by my window and raised the blinds quickly. Sunlight poured into my room and woke me up with a start.  
"Izzy!" I fumed. Joy was laughing it up.  
"I used to do that," she laughed. "When that stopped working I placed Charmander on top of her and he stared straight at her until she woke up. Oh, Squirtel, you used to get so mad at me for that."  
"I still do," I said eying Izzy. "And don't give him anymore ideas. I want to sleep in for once."  
We packed our things up and got ready to leave for the Celadon City department store. From there we would go to Saffron City. Izzy and I said our good-byes to Joy.  
"Be careful," she said terry eyed. "And I don't care if you don't become a master. Just bring yourself home safe and sound." I assured her that I would and left home for the second time.  
We got to the Celadon City department store and got out our money. When we entered the building, I checked out what each floor was.  
"Floor one, the one we're on, is the lobby," I explained. "Floor two is the General Store, floor three is the Game Floor, floor four is Trainer's Gifts, floor five is Specialty Trainer Items, and the sixth floor is the roof lounge. There are tables and soda machines on that floor." We decided to go to the second floor first.  
"Here's a list of items and their costs," Izzy pointed out. "Great Balls: $6.00, Super Potion: 7.00, Revive: 15.00, Super Repel: 5.00, Antidote: 1.00, Burn Heal: 2.50, Ice Heal: 2.50, Awakening: 2.00, Paralyze Heal: 2.00. Then there are some TMs for sale. TM 32 and TM 33: 10.00, TM 02, TM 07, and TM 37: 20.00, TM 01, TM 05, TM 09, and TM 17: 30.00." We had a nice sum of money with us. When you battle a trainer, you get money for winning. Over the past four years, we've collected about $700.85 each. We bought two Great Balls, two Super Potions, and one Revive. Then we walked up to the next floor and looked around up there. It was all video games, so we had no real use to be on this floor. On the next floor I read the sign for Trainer's Gifts.  
"They have the following," I read. "PokeDoll: $10.00, Fire Stone, Thunder Stone, Water Stone, and the Leaf Stone: 21.00." It was a shorter list.  
"Squirtel, go look around over there a bit," Izzy pointed. "I want to get you a gift." I nodded. After Izzy made his purchase, we went to the next floor.  
"This is the Specialty Trainer Items floor," Izzy read. "They have X Accuracy: $9.50, Guard Spec: 7.00, Dire Hit: 6.50, X Attack: 5.00, X Defend: 5.50, X Speed and X Special: 3.50, HP Up, Protein, Iron, Carbos, and Calcium tablets: 98.00." I recognized the last few he read off. They were tablets that Joy often gave the Pokemon. They sure were expensive. We didn't see anything we liked in particular here, so we went to the roof. We looked around. There was a mother and three girls with her.  
"We're thirsty," they all whined.  
"I'm sorry," the mother apologized. "I don't have any change with me." One of the girls came by me. She held up a TM.  
"I'll give this to you for some water," she offered. I smiled sympathetically and nodded. I searched my pocket for twenty cents and dropped it into the machine. The little girl happily accepted it. "Here you go." I looked at the TM. It was TM 13, Ice Beam. The other two girls noticed what happened and offered Izzy their TMs for some soda and lemonade. Izzy gladly gave something to drink to them, and in return received TM 48 and TM 49, Rock Slide and Tri Attack. I got myself a couple cans of soda and we left the store.   
"Let's go to Saffron City," Izzy suggested.  
"First let's check out the Pokemon Mansion," I persuaded him. We walked into the tourist site and was greeted by a man.  
"Congratulations," the man cheered. "You are our 100th guest! You win our fabulous prize! This Eevee." He handed me a Pokeball. "Enjoy!" I was fortunate. Not only did I get to see Pokemon Mansion, but I got Eevee.  
"Check your book about Eevee," Izzy requested. I nodded and grabbed for my book.  
"Eevee," I read. "A Pokemon that cannot evolve on it's own, but is able to evolve by being exposed to one of three evolutionary stones. A Water Stone will change Eevee into a Vaporeon, a Thunder Stone for Jolteon, and a Fire Stone for Flareon."  
"What will you change it into?" Izzy asked excitedly.  
"I think I'll wait and see," I said casually.  
"Now can we go to Saffron City?" Izzy pleaded. I nodded in agreement as we made our way towards the city's entrance.  
"Stop!" a guard ordered. He coughed dryly. "There seems to be uh..." he started coughing again.  
"Oh here," I said reaching for one of my sodas.  
"Thank you," he said gratefully. "Oh, go on and pass. I'll let the other guards know you're welcome." I smiled thankfully as we walked into Saffron City, a city that seems to be under careful watch.  
  
Chapter 22  
A Punchy Gym  
  
"So this is Saffron City," Izzy commented. "Hey, Squirtel, look at this flyer. It says that this city has two gyms! Only Sabrina's has badges. Hers is filled with Psychic Pokemon. The other one is a gym for fighting type Pokemon."   
"That's really cool," I said. "There's also a place called Silph. Co. They manufacture Pokeballs and stuff like that. I think we should check out that fighting gym. Let's go switch our Pokemon with Bill." Izzy called Bill and we made our selections.  
"I'll take Beedrill, Spearow, Mankey, Zubat, Charmander, and Pikachu," Izzy chose.  
"I'll take Squirtle, Butterfree, Dux, Pesky, Kakuna, and Paras," I chose. After making our selection we went to the fighting gym.  
"I'll go first," Izzy told Dojo, the gym leader.  
"Very well," he growled. "I'll use Hitmonlee. Go!"  
"I choose you, Beedrill," Izzy readied himself. "Beedrill use Poison Sting!" Beedrill stung Hitmonlee, but did not poison it.  
"Hitmonlee, use Double Kick," Dojo grumbled. Hitmonlee almost knocked Beedrill out, but Beedrill was hanging in there.  
"Uh, oh," Izzy said worried. "Beedrill, come back. You tried. I choose Spearow!" Dojo frowned.  
"Hitmonlee, use Meditate," Dojo muttered. Hitmonlee glowed while its attack power increased.  
"Spearow, use Drill Peck," Izzy commanded. Spearow made an incredibly fast dive on Hitmonlee beak first, which almost caused Hitmonlee to faint.   
"Hitmonlee, use Double Kick," Dojo ordered. Hitmonlee tried to kick Spearow, but couldn't reach that high into the sky.  
"Spearow, use Peck," Izzy smiled. Spearow's Peck attack fainted Hitmonlee. After recalling Hitmonlee, Dojo sent out Hitmonchan.  
"Hitmonchan, use Comet Punch," Dojo roared. Hitmonchan's fist were a mere blur, but it only hit Spearow twice.  
"Spearow, use another Drill Peck," Izzy bided. Spearow's attack was point-blank and it fainted Hitmonchan in one hit. Dojo looked up at me.  
"Now it's your turn," he said calmly. "I'll use Hitmonlee."  
"Didn't I just defeat that Pokemon?" Izzy said puzzled.  
"This is another Hitmonlee," Dojo said glaring at Izzy.  
"I'll use you, Dux," I chose. Dojo had Hitmonlee do a Double Kick. I expected the same results that Izzy got with Spearow, but to my astonishment, Dux fainted with two hits. "What happened?"  
"Dux is only at level 15," Izzy explained. "It's not strong enough." I lowered my eyes in embarrassment.  
"Fine," I said hotly. "I choose Pesky! Pesky use the same strategy as Izzy did." Pesky did exactly what Izzy's Spearow did. After five minutes, I had won the match.  
"Very good," Dojo congratulated. "As a prize, you each may take a Pokemon. One is Hitmonchan, the other is Hitmonlee."  
"Ladies first," Izzy gestured. I thought a moment about my decision.  
"I'll take Hitmonchan," I decided. Izzy got Hitmonlee. I turned to Pesky to thank him, when he started to glow.  
"Squirtel, he's evolving!" Izzy said watching. Pesky evolved into a Fearow.  
"Cool," I smiled. "Great job Pesky."  
"Fearow," Pesky said. (Thank you.) Izzy thought a moment.  
"Our Spearow's were about the same level," he resolved. "That means... My Spearow will evolve if I let him out of his Pokeball. I choose you, Spearow!" After Spearow emerged from his Pokeball, he started to glow, too. In a matter of seconds, Izzy's Spearow had evolved as well. We left the fighting gym very satisfied with our new Pokemon.  
Back at the Pokemon Center, Bill gave us some information on Sabrina.  
"She's very powerful with her psychic powers," Bill warned. "Her Pokemon are extremely hard to beat. I suggest you exchange your Pokemon and train them for a while." Izzy and I agreed.  
"Who will I take?" Izzy said thinking a moment. "I'll take Beedrill, Fearow, Charmander, Growlithe, Meowth, and Pikachu."  
"I'll take Squirtle, Butterfree, Kakuna, Charmander, Pesky, and Clefairy," I decided. After we were finished talking to Bill, I turned to Izzy and suggested that we take a tour of Silph. Co.  
"What about training our Pokemon?" Izzy nagged. I gave him a pleading look.  
"Please?" I begged. Izzy rolled his eyes and agreed.  
Chapter 23  
Team Rocket's Take Over  
  
We set off for Silph Co, but ran into some trouble.  
"Oh, Meadow!" I heard the same despicable voice. Gary. He came and jogged up near us. I still remember the last time we met. Izzy did too and stood in front of me, separating Gary from me.  
"I thought this through," he said. "I think that the reason you didn't agree to join me was because I didn't give you enough time to think my offer over. Now that you've had the chance, I'll give you a second opportunity. What do you say? Join my cheerleading squad."  
"No," I said irritated. Gary's confident smirk faded from his face.  
"I don't think you understand," he growled. "You won't get another chance. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I'm offering it to you on a silver platter."  
"You heard her," Izzy shouted defensively. "Now beat it!" Gary glowered at Izzy.  
"Last chance, babe," he said through clenched teeth. "Are you with me?" Izzy gave him a glare while I answered.  
"Not a chance," I said determined. Gary frowned and stared at Izzy.  
"If you'd rather train with this loser that's fine by me," he said irritably as he left quickly.  
"At least he didn't hurt my arm this time," I said. "What does he want with me?"  
"I don't know," Izzy replied, still upset. He put his arm around me. "But if he bothers us one more time, I'll find out. Let's go." We walked into Silph Co. but there was no receptionist there.  
"Do you think we should leave?" I asked concerned.  
"No," Izzy replied. "If they didn't want people here, they would have locked the doors." I nodded. It was a logical explanation. "Let's go to the first floor." We walked up the flight of stairs. We then ran into a member of Team Rocket.  
"What are you doing here?" the man asked furiously. He was armed only with an Ekans, so I beat him easily.  
"All right," I asked angrily. "What is Team Rocket doing here?" The man refused to talk. Izzy had Beedrill position his stinger so that it was barely touching the man's back. "Talk or his Beedrill gives you a painful reminder why it's important to wear bug repellent." The man hesitated a moment, then caved in.  
"All right," he sighed. "I'll talk. Team Rocket is here on a mission to take over Silph Co. We're going to steal all the Pokeballs and Pokemon. You can try to stop us, but you never will! Team Rocket is undefeatable! We have members through out the entire building. You'll never reach our leader! Team Rocket has won!" I shook my head in disgust as Izzy and I went to the next floor.  
The first man we met was right. There were many members through out the building. Most only had Ekans and Koffing. Izzy and I defeated each one. After we defeated a person, we tried to get any more information that we could from them. Some of the time, we mistook members of Team Rocket for Silph Co. workers, because they were disguised. Some of the people we encountered actually were workers being held captives. Some of them gave us gifts for helping them, while others just cried and broke into a nervous frenzy. Out of all the gifts, I received TM 36 (Selfdestruct), rope, Full Heal, Protein tablets, X Accuracy, TM 03 (Swords Dance), and Rare candy. Izzy got Hyper Potion, Max Revive, TM 09 (Take Down), HP Up, Calcium tablets, TM 26 (Earthquake), and Carbos tablets. One person gave Izzy a Lapras.  
We finally reached floor nine, the final floor. There, we encountered the head of Team Rocket, Giovanni.  
"Who's there?" he roared. "Kids? How did you get here? How did you get past all my traps?"  
"Well it would have been a lot harder if you had locked the door," Izzy said remotely.  
"Duh," I droned.  
"Foolish children," he fumed. "You can't defeat me! Go Nidorino! Get rid of these two."  
"Go, Kakuna," I chose. Try as he might, Nidorino just couldn't seem to get any of its Poison attacks to work. I won with numerous Tackles. After recalling Nidorino, Giovanni sent out Rhyhorn. I beat it easy with Squirtle. After that, he tried his luck with Kangaskhan. Izzy defeated it with a couple strong attacks from Growlithe. Giovanni was furious by now, and tried a final attempt with Nidoqueen. Izzy got the best of it with Pikachu.  
"How dare you?" Giovanni gasped. "I must rethink my strategy!" He rushed out of the room.  
"Thank you!" the president of Silph Co. thanked us. "For your bravery, here is a Master Ball. It's the only one in existence. It has been made to capture any Pokemon without even weakening it. But choose carefully on what Pokemon you use it on. We won't ever make another one of these." I had the most space in my backpack, so I carried it. We were congratulated all around town as we triumphantly walked back to the Pokemon Center.  
  
Chapter 24  
Mind Games  
  
"You should go first this time," Izzy planned as we were deciding our battle strategies. "I gave Bill a call earlier, and he said that Sabrina has Kadabra at level 38, Mr. Mime at level 37, Venomoth at level 38, and Alakazam at level 43." I swallowed hard.  
"This isn't going to be easy," I said to myself. "Psychic Pokemon are good at confusing Pokemon into hurting themselves badly." I looked at all my Pokeballs I had with me.  
"I'll use my Pokemon in this order," I decided. "Kakuna and Butterfree." Beedrill's antenna pricked up to the sound of Butterfree's name, and he started looking around.  
"Butterfree's not here, Beedrill," Izzy laughed. Beedrill looked slightly disappointed as he laid his head back down on Izzy's lap.  
"Like I was saying," I glanced at Beedrill. "Kakuna, Butterfree, Charmander, Pesky, Clefairy, and Squirtle."  
"Tomorrow I'll go," Izzy announced. "I'll use Fearow, Charmander, Growlithe, Pikachu, Meowth, and Beedrill. Good luck, Squirtel. This is going to be a hard match."  
We entered Sabrina's Gym. She looked up, as if expecting us, and immediately sent out her Kadabra. I responded by sending out Kakuna. Sabrina frowned and had her Kadabra use Disable. It didn't work. When I had Kakuna use a Poison Sting, it didn't poison her Kadabra. This time, she use Psybeam to faint Kakuna.  
"That was quick," I thought. "I guess I'll use Butterfree." Sabrina told her Kadabra to use another Psybeam, but it wasn't as effective this time. I had Butterfree use Stun Spore to slow Kadabra down a bit. Kadabra tried another Psybeam, and took a bit more damage this time. I wasn't sure what to do next. Psychic attacks aren't very effective against each other. I thought a moment, before I decided to use Whirlwind. It only knocked Kadabra off its feet momentarily. I had to act now.   
"Butterfree use Double-Edge," I blurted out. Now I had a predicament. Butterfree didn't know how to do Double-Edge. Then, to my astonishment, Butterfree did a Tackle.  
"It's not Double-Edge, but it's better than nothing," I thought. It took three Tackles to faint Kadabra, but thanks to the Stun Spore, Butterfree didn't faint. I wouldn't take much to do that though. Sabrina then sent out Mr. Mime. I quickly had Butterfree use Poison Powder to poison Mr. Mime.  
"Mr. Mime, use Double Slap," Sabrina said flatly. That was all it took to faint my Butterfree. I recalled her and sent out Charmander.  
"Charmander, use Slash," I called out. Slash was a critical hit and took out one-third of Mr. Mime's HP. Mr. Mime returned the favor with Confusion. Charmander, luckily, didn't become confused. I had Charmander use another Slash. Now, Mr. Mime was down to one-third of its HP. One more Slash should win the match. Mr. Mime got to Charmander with Double Slap, leaving only a sliver of HP left. I had Charmander Slash it once more, and faint Mr. Mime.  
Sabrina recalled it unrifled by the fact that she was down to only two more Pokemon. She let out her Venomoth.  
"Charmander, use Ember," I directed. To my dread, Venomoth was faster and fainted Charmander with Leech Life. I retreated Charmander and sent out Pesky. Pesky used Drill Peck to get a good piece of Venomoth. Venomoth was strong, and used Psybeam to get an equally good piece of Pesky. Pesky Drill Pecked Venomoth and Venomoth repeated its attack. Pesky did a final Drill Peck for the win. Like always with this match, Pesky only had a little HP left.  
In a final attempt, Sabrina sent out Alakazam. This is what I feared. I only could hope that my plan work. Pesky went to use Drill Peck and only nicked it before Alakazam fainted Pesky. I swallowed hard.  
"Don't let me down," I whispered to Clefairy's Pokeball. After sending Clefairy out, she used Metronome. I held my breath in hopes that she could get the right attacks. This time, Metronome produced Minimize. This attack made Clefairy appear a tiny dot to Alakazam and increase the chances of misses.  
Alakazam tried a Disable attack, but failed. Clefairy's Metronome now had her use Confusion. This did little damage and it did not confuse Alakazam. Alakazam used Psychic for a hit. Clefairy now used Pin Missile. That did the trick. Already half of Alakazam's HP was gone. Alakazam Psybeamed Clefairy. She now only had a little of her HP left. One more Metronome used Dig. Clefairy dug into the ground, avoiding a Psybeam attack. And dug her way towards Alakazam. Alakazam was down to its last bit of energy. Sadly, it was still able to faint Clefairy. Now, it was the final battle, between Alakazam and Squirtle.  
  
Chapter 25  
Last Chance  
  
I knew that this match was speed against power. Squirtle had to not only be quick enough to dodge Alakazam's attacks, but also be able to get in a few attacks of his own as well. Here's hoping. Alakazam tried a disable attack, but failed miserably. Squirtle was quick. He used a Body Slam. Now, Alakazam only needed two hits to faint. Squirtle got in another Body Slam, but Alakazam used its Psybeam to hit Squirtle. One more hit like that would faint Squirtle. I held my breath. Alakazam used Psychic Attack, but Squirtle narrowly got out of the way and Water Gunned Alakazam for the win. Sabrina didn't seem too disturbed. She walked over and handed me a Marsh Badge. I got a good look at her, eye to eye. Her expression almost seemed blank. It was very puzzling. Izzy, on the other hand, started jumping around and cheering like crazy as soon as we left the gym.  
"What are you so happy about?" I asked slightly annoyed by his excitement. "Normally, you'd just give me a shove or something and say, 'Congratulations, Squirtel.'"  
"That was an amazing match!" he cheered. "It was down to Alakazam and Squirtle. At the last moment, Squirtle nailed Alakazam for the win! It was like in a movie or something!" At the notion of Squirtle, I patted his shell. Squirtle had fallen asleep in my arms from exhaustion. I took my Pokemon to Nurse Joy, who in five minutes returned my Pokemon. I was still pondering Sabrina's reaction to the match. She seemed way too calm.  
"Was she hiding something?" I concentrated. "Or is that how she always acts?"  
"Earth to Squirtel," Izzy laughed, waving his hand in front of my face. I grinned and pushed his hand away from my face. "This calls for a celebration! What do you want to do?" I thought about it a moment.  
"Let's take our Pokemon and relax near Route 7," I suggested.  
"Sure," Izzy shrugged. "It's your decision." We packed a snack and grabbed our Pokemon. When we got to a nice area between a meadow and a lake, I let Squirtle have a nice swim, and the other Pokemon romp around the meadow. Izzy sat down next to me and we started chatting about nothing in particular.  
"Hey, Squirtel," he said cocking his head. "Look at Butterfree and Beedrill." I glanced above me. Butterfree had found a pretty wildflower and was tickling Beedrill with it. "They sure are quite a pair, those two."  
"It's a little ironic," I giggled. "The way things turned out." Izzy, who had been lying on the ground next to me, sat up and gave me a puzzling frown. "I never would have expected a Butterfree to love a Beedrill."  
"It's not like it couldn't happen," Izzy argued. "What's so ironic about it?"  
"I never said that it couldn't," I shot back. "And you didn't let me finish. I was going to go on that the ironic part was that Butterfree is my Pokemon and Beedrill is yours, and I can't help but wonder if perhaps our Pokemon courting each other had a part of us being together." Izzy nodded, understanding.  
"It wouldn't have mattered," he resolved. "But it didn't hurt. You do have a point, though, I'd rather not consider it a major factor."  
"If that's so true," I debated. "Then when exactly did you start liking me?" Izzy laid back down while he thought.  
"I suppose," he started. "It was on the S.S. Anne, when you kissed me." I was just about to explain that it wasn't a real kiss, but he beat me to it. "Even though, I know you didn't mean it. Yes, Squirtel, I knew that you were just testing me. I still enjoyed it, and I think that you did too." I blushed and mumbled a yes. "What about you? When did you like me so much?"  
"When you saved me from Gary," I said quickly. "The first time. I was really touched when you defended me and said that I meant a lot to you."  
"I'd never let anyone hurt you," he said angrily. "Ever." I decided now was a good time to lighten the mood.  
"You can't protect me forever," I teased.  
"Why not?" he pointed out. I had to think for a reason.  
"We'll probably end up going our separate ways," I said gazing off into the distance. "That's how most things end up. Not all, but most." Izzy just continued to daydream, without even replying.  
"Dang it," I thought. "I didn't lighten the mood. I just dampened it even further."   
Thank goodness for Pokemon. Our two Charmander walked over and made a bunch of goofy faces. We couldn't help but laugh. Then, our two Fearow flew over and started to sing badly. Now we were busting with laughter. The next thing we knew, all our Pokemon were laughing it up. I wiped my eyes as Izzy pulled me over and gave me a kiss. Some of our Pokemon were hiding their eyes and giggling, others just watched happily, while a few didn't notice or didn't care.  
It's amazing how fast you lose track of dates, because when I looked at my watch's built in calendar, I realized that it was only two days before my birthday. I pointed this out to Izzy, knowing he had a present, and started to beg that he give it to me early. No mattered how many times I pleaded, he refused each time with good humor. I finally gave up and turned on my portable radio to one of the more relaxing stations. I listened to a few soft songs and closed my eyes, and, without even knowing it, I fell asleep. Izzy glanced over, because at some point I started to slump onto him. He smiled shaking his head as he yawned and stretch. Apparently, as I later found out, he drifted to sleep too. We woke up to Squirtle and Beedrill giving us a few good shakes. I looked around and most of our Pokemon were crowded around us. I sent them back to their Pokeballs, and we set up camp. I was still tired, but not to tired to play a song for Izzy on my Pokeflute, as he insisted I do every night we camp out. Izzy never fell asleep during my songs, but had no trouble afterwards. I fell asleep thinking of Izzy, my Pokemon, and my Marsh Badge.   
  



	7. Chapter 26- 32

Chapter 26  
Sabrina's Gaze  
  
I woke up to the sound of Izzy making breakfast. I resolved that one of these days I'd get up first and make a breakfast that I wanted to eat. After our meal, Izzy prepared his Pokeballs for the match he was looking forward to.  
"I hope I look as good as you did," he chatted excitedly. "Or better. Better would be nice, but it doesn't seem likely. That was an intense match."  
"I'm excited about you match too, but my mind's on tomorrow," I said to Izzy while washing the dishes. "One more day and I'm fifteen years old. I can't wait to see what you got me. And in one month and twenty days, you'll have your birthday. We should be somewhere in the middle of nowhere after a battle with the next gym leader." I seem to be on one of my non-stop talking frenzies.   
"Oh, well. Izzy doesn't ever seem to mind," I thought.  
At the same time Izzy was thinking, "She talks a lot sometimes. It's a little annoying, but she doesn't have to know that just yet."  
About fifteen minutes later, Izzy entered the gym. Sabrina seemed to be waiting for him, and sent out her Kadabra right away. Izzy set out his Fearow. Kadabra made the first move with Disable, which disabled Fearow's Peck attack. Fearow used a Drill Peck in return. Kadabra used Psybeam, which was returned with another Drill Peck. I could see that Izzy was going to use the strongest attack as many times possible. It would only take another Drill Peck to win the match. Kadabra used Psychic to reduce Fearow's HP to a minimum. Fearow easily used Drill Peck for the win.  
Next, Sabrina used Mr. Mime. Fearow was faster, so another Drill Peck was in order. Mr. Mime took the hit and Double Slapped for the win.  
Izzy used his Charmander next, who used Ember. Mr. Mime's HP was dwindling at a low, so it tried Light Screen, but Charmander's attacks got through for the faint.  
Sabrina was undisturbed and sent out Venomoth to use Disable. It didn't work, and Charmander's Ember nearly fainted Venomoth. Venomoth used its strength to use Poison Powder. Charmander, who was badly poisoned, used Scratch for the win.  
Sabrina sent out Alakazam. I knew what a tough beat it was, and now Izzy would find out. Alakazam's Confusion made short work of Charmander. It also made short work of his Growlithe, Pikachu, and Meowth. They all got in their strongest attacks and now Alakazam's HP was down to one-third left. It was Alakazam and Beedrill. I knew that if Beedrill used his Pin Missile, he would win. He just had to avoid Alakazam's attack. Alakazam tried its hardest to use Psybeam, but Beedrill flew out of the way. He used his Pin Missile to win.  
Sabrina strolled over to Izzy and presented him with another Marsh Badge. I got a good look at her gaze. I realized it wasn't blank; she was concentrating on Izzy very hard. Izzy looked straight back at her and thanked her.  
"You are welcome, Izzy," she replied good-natured. "You did a great job. You too, Squirtel." I was shocked. I never told gym leaders my nickname. I figured it was none of their business. I was going to ask how she knew, but she explained that she was psychic. That explained the way she looked at me. She was going into my mind. I was glad that others couldn't do that. I hated it if everyone knew what I was thinking.  
Izzy and I left the gym with mixed feelings. Izzy was excited and bewildered, while I was happy and surprised. Izzy had won, so I was happy, but Sabrina could read minds, so I was surprised. I didn't want to think about it. I set my thoughts on our next match.  
  
Chapter 27  
Happy Birthday To Me  
  
"So Bill, the million dollar question is where do we go now?" Izzy joked.  
"Head to Fuchsia City," Bill explained. "That's where Koga's Gym is. He trains Poison Pokemon. That's also where the famous Safari Zone is. There, for a small fee, you can catch all the Pokemon you want until you run out of time or Safari Balls. There are many exotic Pokemon there; some can only be caught in the Safari Zone. You don't even have to battle. You just throw rubber balls and bait. It's loads of fun. I also found the good fishing rods. I'll transfer them with your Pokemon. I almost forgot, happy birthday, Squirtel." I smiled that he remembered.  
"Poison Pokemon?" Izzy repeated. "Then I'll take Beedrill, Palmpal, Zubat, Geodude, Pikachu, and Charmander."  
"I'll take Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Butterfree, Charmander, Kakuna, and Pikachu," I chose. We got all our stuff ready and jumped onto our bikes.  
Route 12 was a nice route along the sea. Water was all around us. I thought it was the perfect scene. After ten minutes of riding, Izzy suggested we stop and try out our fishing poles. I agreed. After Izzy showed me how to bait the hook, I cast my line and waited. Izzy was lucky enough to get the first bite. He hooked a Tentacool.  
"I'll use Palmpal!" He chose. Palmpal attacked with Acid, and Tentacool used the same attack. Both were very ineffective. This time, Palmpal tried an Absorb attack, which worked much better. After three absorb attacks, Izzy caught Tentacool.   
After five more minutes, I got a Goldeen on my hook. I used Bulbasaur, whose Vine Whip made short work of Goldeen. I caught it with ease. Izzy hadn't called back Palmpal, so after the battle he started to glow. Palmpal was evolving.  
"Oh, wow!" Izzy beamed. "Palmpal evolved into Gloom. What do you know about Gloom, Squirtel?" I got out my book.  
"It says here," I read. "That like most Grass type Pokemon, Gloom can hardly move, but it doesn't need to move its limbs to launch an attack. If you use a Leaf Stone on Gloom, it will evolve into Vileplume."   
Izzy checked the time, and then announced that now was as good a time as ever to have a small birthday party. We let out all our Pokemon.  
"Squirtle squirtle squirt," Squirtle said jumping up and down to get my attention. (Beedrill and I got you a present.)  
"Beedrill bee bee!" Beedrill said hovering over me. (You'll like it!)  
"What is it guys?" I laughed. "Did you get me something? What?" Squirtle and Beedrill organized all our Pokemon, and they put on a little skit for us. I wasn't sure, but I think it was a comedy about Team Rocket.  
"Charmander char, mander char," growled Charmander. (I'm the evil Team Rocket leader, Giovanni.)  
"Pika pikachu," Pikachu bowed down. (We will serve you, master.)  
"Free free!" Butterfree shouted. (Stop you!) "Butterfree free free butterfree! (I am Squirtel, the heroine.)  
"Beedrill bee," Beedrill replied. (I'm Izzy, the hero.)  
The next thing we knew, all the Pokemon started to fight and battle each other. I got up to separate them, but Squirtle winked at me to let me know that it was just part of the play. The scene that followed had all our Pokemon except Beedrill and Butterfree lie down, pretending that they were fainted.  
"Free free butterfree!" cheered Butterfree. (We saved the city!)  
"Bee bee drill drill," Beedrill acclaimed. (We are the best.)  
Then, all our Pokemon got up and bowed as Izzy and I cheered. We had no idea what they were talking about, but it was entertaining to watch.  
"That was great," Izzy laughed. "Now, it's my turn. I have your present right here." He handed me a wrapped gift. I ripped it open and found that I had received a very cute Squirtle doll.  
"Oh," I cooed fondling over the doll. "Thank you, Izzy. It's darling."   
"It was nothing," he blushed. He then leaned over and gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek.  
All our Pokemon were celebrating and enjoying themselves. It was a small, but adequate party. I placed the Squirtle doll in a safe place in my backpack, and found a piece of rare candy. I wondered who to give it to.  
"Kakuna," I called. "Come over here. I'd like to give you something nice." I gave the rare candy to Kakuna, and he started to glow. "Izzy! Kakuna is evolving!" Kakuna turned into a Beedrill.  
"That's great," Izzy smiled. "How will we tell ours apart?"  
"Like we do with the other Pokemon," I explained. "I'll put a hair band on him." After slipping on a hair band, I let Beedrill meet Izzy's Beedrill.  
At first, it seemed that they would get along. Then, Butterfree came over, and my Beedrill got all gooey over her like Izzy's Beedrill had. Butterfree didn't seem to enjoy this, and neither did Izzy's Beedrill. My Beedrill advanced on Butterfree, but Izzy's Beedrill got in the way and they started to fight.  
"Oh, no," I gasped. "Beedrill return." I called him back into his Pokeball. "Bad Beedrill."  
"I guess we can't keep them together," Izzy sighed. "Too bad. I thought it would be fun." I checked on Butterfree and Beedrill, but they were fine, and enjoying each others company again.  
It was starting to get dark. I didn't want to send the Pokemon back to their Pokeballs quite yet, so we played for a while longer.  
Squirtle and Bulbasaur were talking to me, and I had to figure out what they where saying.  
"Squirtle squirtle squirtle," Squirtle sang. (Happy birthday to you.) Then he pointed at me. I still didn't get it. Squirtle thought a moment, and then picked up the wrapping paper from my present.  
"It's my birthday," I guessed. Squirtle just shrugged.  
"Squirtle squirt," he sighed. (Close enough.)  
"Bulbasaur bulba bulba," Bulbasaur commented. (Izzy is a nice boy.) He walked by Izzy and gave his leg a push.  
"Hmm... Something with Izzy," I pondered. Then Bulbasaur used his vines to make a square. Now I was lost.  
"I give up," I confessed. The bad part of this game was that my Pokemon couldn't tell me what they were trying to say.  
"Bulbasaur bulba 'bulba bulbasaur'," Bulbasaur muttered. (I was saying, "Sounds like ice.")   
I figured now was the best time to send the Pokemon back to their Pokeballs. I snuggled in my sleeping bag and said my goodnights to Izzy, Squirtle, and Beedrill. It had been a fun birthday.  
  
Chapter 28  
Sleepy Snorlax  
  
"Good morning, Squirtel," Izzy snickered hovering over.  
"Do you know the meaning of the words 'sleep in?'" I moaned.  
"No," he grinned. "So get up." I stuck out my tongue at him when I crawled out of my sleeping bag. He just made a face back.  
We got everything situated and rode down Route 12 again and ran into a man, who was grumbling and shuffling his feet in an agitated manner.  
"Hello there, sir," Izzy called. The man looked up and appeared to brighten up a bit.  
"Hello, young man," he called back. "I don't suppose you and your female friend are Pokemon trainers."  
"Yes, we are, sir," I smiled.  
"Then maybe you could help me out a bit," he pleaded. "There is a Snorlax up this road a little, and it's blocking the path. Perhaps you could wake it up. I've had no luck."  
"We'll try," Izzy reassured the man. Sure enough, down the road there was an enormous Pokemon sleeping in the middle of the road. "What does your book say about Snorlax, Squirtel?" I whipped out my trusty Pokemon Guide.  
"It says here," I quoted. "That Snorlax enjoys sleeping more than anything, and will often lie down at the first open spot. It is the heaviest Pokemon weighing 1,014 pounds on average. They eat 2000 pounds of food!"  
"How are we going to move this pile of lard!?" Izzy exclaimed.  
"You didn't let me finish," I scowled. "They can be waked up by a song played upon a Pokeflute."  
"You have a Pokeflute!" Izzy beamed.  
"How observant," I mocked. He gave me a dark glare. Well, if he didn't want me being so nasty he should let me sleep in once and while.  
"Then play it," he urged.  
"Fine," I shrugged. I started to play one of the more lively songs I know. Almost immediately, Snorlax woke up. It woke up grumpily, and started to attack us.  
"Ahh!" Izzy screamed. "Beedrill, attack it!" Beedrill attacked it with a Poison Sting, but it was pretty ineffective. Snorlax was so fat, it barley felt the sting.  
"I've got an idea," I yelled. "Follow me!" Izzy looked doubtful, but followed me regardless. We led Snorlax to an out of the way spot in the forest. "Butterfree, quick use your Sleep Powder attack!" Butterfree sent it back to sleep. "Great Ball, go!" The great ball jiggled around, but stopped.  
"I can't believe you just captured that huge monster," Izzy gaped.  
"I feel sorry for Bill," I laughed. "He has to take care of it now." Izzy just shook head as we pedaled through the thick forest.  
"What was that?" I asked Izzy. "I think someone is in the woods."  
"Whoever you are, come out!" Izzy shouted. A boy walked out of the woods. He looked a little younger than me. About one year younger.  
"Don't worry," he said quickly. "I won't hurt you."  
"Who are you?" I asked suspiciously.  
  
  
Chapter 29  
The Psychic Pokemon Trainer  
  
"Me?" the boy pointed at himself. I could hear a hint of an English accent. "My name is Robin. Nice to meet you. Who are you guys?"  
Izzy dismounted his bike and introduced himself, "I'm Izzy."  
"My name is Meadow," I said cautiously. I wasn't quite sure about this kid just yet.  
"Nice catch on that Snorlax," he smiled. Then, he turned to Beedrill and Squirtle. "Nice Pokemon too. They look healthy and strong."  
"Thank you," Izzy beamed. "The Beedrill is mine. The Squirtle is hers. Isn't that right, Squirtel?"  
I could have smacked him for that.  
"Squirtel?" Robin repeated. "I thought you said that your name was Meadow."  
"Oh, Squirtel is her nickname," Izzy explained.  
I had about enough of this. After dismounting my bike, I rolled it over by Izzy and gave him a swift kick in the back of his leg.  
"Ow!" he exclaimed. "What was that for?"   
Robin just stared, slightly embarrassed, while I whispered to Izzy, "You blabbermouth!"  
"I can see that was a bit of information you didn't want to explain, so I won't pry," he laughed nervously. "I can also see that you two are Pokemon trainers. That's great! I'm not going to compete in the Indigo League this year. My goal is to be the greatest Psychic Pokemon trainer. I've gotten quite a collection."  
This caught my attention. I put my kickstand up and walked over by Robin and his shiny red bike that he was standing next to.  
"Like what?" I asked curiously.  
"Oh, I've caught Abra, Kadabra, Drowzee, Hypno, and Alakazam as far as Psychic only Pokemon," he listed. "I've also gotten Starmie, Psyduck, and Slowpoke."  
"How about a battle between you and me?" I challenged. "One on one, then you can battle one on one with Izzy."  
"Sounds good to me," he shrugged. "I'll start with Kadabra."  
"Then I'll go with Pikachu," I chose. "Pikachu, use Thunder Wave to paralyze Kadabra!"  
"Kadabra, use Psybeam before Pikachu paralyzes you," Robin directed quickly. Kadabra wasn't quite quick enough to attack first. Pikachu was unable to paralyze it, though. Kadabra's Psybeam was very powerful. I was worried about Pikachu's strength. I decided that I'd better hit with my hardest attacks.  
"Pikachu!" I shouted. "Use your Thunder!" Pikachu made a running start, then jump into the air to shock Kadabra with all he had. It looked as if I had won.  
"Kadabra, use Recover," Robin instructed. Kadabra recovered most of its strength. I was very agitated.  
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" I directed.  
"Kadabra, use Psywave!" Robin called. Kadabra used Psywave to win.  
"Pikachu," I whispered after calling it back.  
"You put up a great fight," Robin congratulated. Then he looked at Izzy. "Your turn. I'll use Hypno."  
"I'll use Geodude," Izzy chose. "Geodude, use Rock Throw!" Boulders appeared above of Hypno started to fall on it.  
"Hypno, use Psychic," Robin ordered. Hypno used its Psychic Powers to stop the boulders in midair. "Now use Confusion!" The boulders started to fall on Geodude instead. It wasn't very effective but the Psychic waves that carried the boulders did some damage.  
"Geodude, use Self Destruct!" Izzy called out.  
"Hypno, use Barrier!" Robin said quickly. The Self Destruct fainted Geodude and not Hypno, because of the Psychic barrier. Izzy just stared at his Geodude.  
"Why did I do that?" Izzy asked himself softly.  
"My, you two are very good at training Pokemon," Robin congratulated us later. "I haven't had a battle like that in quite a while."  
"Since you're not collecting badges, you won't be at the Indigo Pokemon League competition," I pointed out. "We won't see each other again."  
"Well, I like to train my Pokemon along the same route as most of the trainers competing do," he explained. "And I plan to watch the competition, so we'll see each other again. Be sure of that!" I was glad. Robin seemed like a very nice boy.  
We said our goodbyes and continued on our path. Izzy was very quite. I had a feeling that the recent loss was making him feel bad. I was going to say something reassuring to cheer him up, but instead he replied, "Now, I see we should train harder. I didn't' want to lose, but it was a good thing I did. We've been winning so long, I needed a reality check. I now know that you can never train to much."  
I didn't have much to say to that. He was right. We did need to train more. And now we know that.  
As I continued down the path, my thoughts were on the next time we'd meet Robin. The future Psychic Pokemon master!  
  
Chapter 30  
Bellsprout  
  
Route 12, 13, 14, and 15 all proved to be full of challenges. Everywhere you turn, somebody wants to battle. Izzy and I took on most of them. After a while, though, we started to worry about our Pokemon.  
"Squirtel, I think we have a small problem," Izzy warned me on Route 15. "Even though we're close to Fuchsia City, our Pokemon are exhausted. We've been battling all day long. Out of the six we started out with, we're down to three. If we have to battle too many more trainers, all our Pokemon will have fainted. I think we'd better leave."  
"Izzy, you're such a worry wart," I teased him. "We can take on all the trainers here blindfolded. I wouldn't mind a small break to rest, though."   
Izzy shook his head a said, "You battle all you want, but I want to make sure I have a few Pokemon in case of a real dilemma."  
So, we stopped for a short rest in a grassy area. Squirtle decided to take a nap. I let all my Pokemon out that hadn't fainted yet. I still had Charmander and Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur took a snooze too, but Charmander was running around and smelling all the flowers. I was going to take a bite out of the sandwich that I prepared, when I heard Charmander give a shout.  
"What is it, Charmander?" I asked alarmed. Charmander came running by my side. I could tell he was pretty mad. "What's wrong?"  
"Charmander mander char char charman!" Charmander shouted. (That Pokemon attacked me!) "Charmander charmander char char!" (I didn't do anything!) I looked up at where he was pointing. In the near distance I could see a Bellsprout.  
"It's a Pokemon!" I shouted. "Izzy, come see!" Izzy lifted his head from the spot he was lying down at.  
"It's a stupid Bellsprout," he mumbled. "Who cares? I've seen lots of those." I ignored him and read from my book.  
"Bellsprout," I read to myself. "Bellsprout often begins a battle with Growth, which will increase the power of its special attacks. It would be wise to use your most powerful attack before Bellsprout has a chance to launch an attack of its own."  
"Wow," I said to Charmander, who was still pouting from the small slap it had received earlier. "For something so common, it sure can be powerful. I want one! Charmander, you're up!" Charmander gladly ran up to the Bellsprout to battle. "Okay, use Ember!" Charmander picked up its tail and blew little flickers of flames onto the Bellsprout. One thing I had forgotten was how flexible Bellsprout can be. It bent its stem and avoided most of the fire. A couple nicks got it, though. After, I had Charmander use a Slash attack while Bellsprout was using Growth. It wasn't enough to faint it, unfortunately. Bellsprout used Wrap to grasp Charmander. It wouldn't let him go for a while. Charmander was furious with this Bellsprout now. I didn't even have to chance to call out another attack before he started to use Rage. With each attack, Charmander's attack power went way up. It tackled the Bellsprout with full force. Bellsprout tried another Wrap attack, but missed. One more tackle from Charmander was enough to weaken Bellsprout and enabled me to capture it.  
"Izzy, I caught a Bellsprout!" I squealed in delight.   
Izzy sat up, and yawned, "It was my turn to catch a Pokemon."  
"If you would have gotten up, then you could have," I nagged. Looking around for something Izzy could battle, my sight came upon a Pidgey. "You can catch that."  
"A Pidgey?" Izzy groaned. "No way. There's got to be something better than that around here." This time, Izzy looked around. "There. I'll capture that Pidgeotto. They're a lot stronger."  
As Izzy prepared his Pokeballs I read from my book about Pidgeotto, "Pidgeotto. You can obtain a Pidgeotto either by capturing one in the wild or by building up a Pidgey to level 18."  
"I'll go the quicker way," Izzy scoffed.  
"I thought you weren't going to battle anymore until we got to Fuchsia City," I pointed out. That made Izzy freeze in his position.  
"You're right," he said. "I'll wait."  
"Chicken," I taunted. "If you're not going to battle, then let's go." We jumped onto our bikes and head into Fuchsia City.  
  
  
Chapter 31  
Poison Pack  
  
"Hey, Bill," Izzy greeted into the picture phone. We've made it a tradition to call Bill at every city we end up in. "What's up?"  
"I have exciting news," Bill chatted. "The super rods I ordered are in. I transfer them right away. So you're in Fuchsia City? That's a famous place for the Safari Zone I mentioned earlier. Be sure to visit that place. I bet you're wondering what kind of Pokemon the gym leader there has. His name is Koga, and he has two Koffing at level 37, a Muk at level 39, and a Weezing at level 43. As you can see, he's very into Poison type Pokemon. The best to use against them are Ground and Psychic types for attacks. For defense, you want Poison, Ground, Rock, and Ghost. Do you want to make any switches?"  
We shook our heads, took our super rods, and hung up.  
"Who goes first?" I asked anxiously.  
"I will," Izzy replied. "The order I'll go in is Geodude, Palmpal, Zubat, Pikachu, Charmander, and then Beedrill."  
"Tomorrow, I'll use Beedrill, Bulbasaur, Pikachu, Charmander, Butterfree, and then Squirtle," I recited. After we made our decisions for battling, Izzy got his Pokemon prepared and started for the Fuchsia City gym.  
When we entered the building, no one was there.  
"Why isn't anybody here?" Izzy asked, disappointed. "Are they closed?"  
"I don't know," I replied. "Someone should be here. Maybe Team Rocket took over."  
"That's not funny!" Izzy fumed. "I want to battle Koga!"  
"I wasn't joking," I shot back. "Let's look around."  
We walked down one of the halls and ran into a wall. The funny thing was, that there was no wall.  
"What is this thing?" I asked rubbing my sore nose. "Is it a force field?" Izzy ran his hand across the invisible wall.  
"It's made of glass," he reported. "That must mean that at least half of the paths are blocked with glass. Do you think we should cut it down?"  
"It wouldn't be very nice," I said objectively. "Whoever put these up went to a lot of trouble to make sure we took another way. I bet it's a test. Besides, cutting it down would be pointless. There's probably more after this one on the same path."  
"I see your point," Izzy sighed. "Well, let's get going. We've got to find another way to the leader."  
We traveled around looking for more paths to follow. The entire house was a giant maze. We decided to use Zubat's Supersonic to find out which halls were clear and which had walls. After a few hours of wondering around, we found Koga.  
"I see that you passed my test of the invisible walls," he acknowledged. He glanced up at Zubat. "You used a Zubat. That proves your worth. You say that you want to take turns battling? There is no need. I'll fight you, Izzy, and your friend will battle my little sister, Iya."  
While Izzy got ready to battle Koga, I got my Pokemon ready for a match against Iya.  
"Do not worry about differences in Pokemon," she reassured me. "We battle with the exact same kinds of Pokemon. I'll start off the match with Koffing."  
"I'll use Beedrill!" I chose. "Beedrill, use Pin Missile attack now!" Beedrill's Pin missile worked well against Koffing.  
"Koffing, use Sludge attack!" ordered Iya. It wasn't very effective. Poison attacks never have much effect on a Poison Pokemon.  
"Beedrill, use Twin Needle!" I shouted. Beedrill jabbed Koffing with both of the stingers on his forearms.  
"Koffing, use Tackle attack," Iya commanded. Koffing tackled Beedrill in the air.  
"Beedrill, try another Twin Needle," I suggested. It was enough to faint Koffing.  
"Go Muk," Iya picked. "Use Pound!" Muk slammed Beedrill with its hand. I could tell that Beedrill wouldn't be able to take much more. Better hit with all we've got.  
"Beedrill, use Rage," I instructed. Beedrill summed up all it's strength and slammed into Muk. Muk responded with another Pound to faint Beedrill. After recalling Beedrill, I sent out Bulbasaur.  
"Bulbasaur, use Leach Seed," I directed. The Leach Seed started to drain Muk of energy. Slowly, but surely.  
"Muk, use Poison Gas attack," Iya said, her voice tainted with a hint of nervousness. Like I thought, it wasn't very as effective as Iya expected. Although Grass types are weak to Poison attacks, Bulbasaur is also part Poison. The two element types canceled each other out.  
"Bulbasaur, use Tackle attack," I ordered. Bulbasaur Tackled Muk with all he had.  
"Muk, use Pound," Iya directed.  
"Bulbasaur, use Body Slam," I called out. Combined with the Leach Seed, Bulbasaur was able to knock out Muk. Next, Iya sent out another Koffing and ordered it to do a Tackle attack. Bulbasaur was getting tired, so it fainted. Then, I sent out Pikachu.  
"Use Smog, Koffing," Iya smirked. The Smog attack not only did damage, but it also poisoned Pikachu. Fortunately, Pikachu was able to do a Thunder Wave to paralyze the Koffing before it attacked. Next, I had Pikachu use Thunderbolt while Koffing tried a Sludge attack. Both Pokemon where getting tired. I used Swift to beat Koffing, but then Pikachu fainted from the poison.  
"I'll send out Weezing," Iya shouted.  
"I'll use Charmander," I decided. "Charmander, use Flamethrower!" It did a nice sum of damage, but not nearly as much as I thought. This Weezing was strong. Weezing launched a Sludge attack, which took nearly half of Charmander's HP.  
"I'm going to have to attack quickly with my strongest attacks," I thought.  
"Charmander, use another Flamethrower and try a Skull Bash later if you can," I encouraged it. Charmander's Flamethrower lowered Weezing's strength to the half mark. Then, Weezing used Smoke Screen. When Charmander tried the Skull Bash attack, he couldn't see Weezing and ended up landing on his head and fainting. I sent out Butterfree. She was the ace I had up my sleeve.  
"Go Squirtel!" I heard Izzy calling. He must have finished early. From the sound of his voice, it appeared he won his badge.  
"Butterfree, use Psybeam," I ordered. Weezing tried another Smoke Screen, but wasn't fast enough. Psybeam was so powerful against Poison that it fainted Weezing instantly. Iya recalled Weezing in disappointment.  
"You've earned this Soul Badge," she said handing me a badge that was in the shape of a heart. "Also, this." She handed me TM 06, Toxic. "I suggest you use it on that Bulbasaur."  
I turned to Izzy ask if he received his badge, but when I turned around he was holding it up with satisfaction. I was glad. Now that we were through with our business, the next thing to do was have a little fun!  
  
  
Chapter 32  
On Safari  
  
"So now what?" Izzy asked the next day.  
"Simple," I explained. "We go play in the Safari Zone. Nurse Joy, what Pokemon are in the Safari Zone?"  
"Oh, my!" she exclaimed. "There are lots of Pokemon. First, you should know that the Safari Zone is broken up into zones. Each zone has certain Pokemon, and certain resting houses. There are 4 zones. The entrance, zone 1, zone 2, and then zone 3. There are also lots of items scattered throughout the zones. For Pokemon, there are Nidoran, both males and females, Nidorino, Nidorina, Rhyhorn, Venonat, Exeggcute, Parasect, Scyther, Pinsir, Chansey, Doduo, Paras, Kangaskhan, Venomoth, and Tauros."  
"That is a lot," Izzy breathed. "Wow! I can't wait! Let's go now!" Izzy grabbed my hand and our Pokeballs and ran towards the Safari Zone."  
A man, who asked us to pay a small fee, greeted us.  
He also informed us on two other things, "First, we are having a contest for the success of our business. The first person to find the hidden house, will receive HM 03, Surf."  
"What's an HM?" I asked the man.  
"Oh, an HM is short for Hidden Machine," the man told. "HM 03 is Surf. HMs are unique because unlike TMs, HMs can be used more than once. Like I was saying, the second notice is that the warden has lost his dentures somewhere in the game. If you find them, he'll reward you with HM 04, Strength. Here's your Safari Balls, bait, and Pester Balls. Use Safari Balls to capture the Pokemon, bait to lure them, and Pester Balls to weaken them."  
After entering the entrance, Izzy and I started looking for Pokemon in the grassy areas. Izzy found a Nidoran male. He started out by throwing a little bait, then a pester ball. The Nidoran got scared and tried to run away, but Izzy used some more bait. Then, he threw a Pester Ball to capture the Nidoran. I found a found a Chansey. Lucky me, Chansey are rather rare. I threw some bait, but Chansey wasn't interested. I threw a Pester Ball, and Chansey started to run away, so I threw a Safari Ball and actually caught it!  
We walked around a bit and saw a small stretch of island in the middle of a small lake. On the island there was an item. I sent Squirtle to fetch it, and when he returned I received a nugget. Nuggets can be traded for money at Pokemarts.  
"Think we should go look for the sweepstakes house?" Izzy asked. I shook my head.  
"Let's fish," I suggested, grabbing my new super rod. We cast them out. Izzy got nothing, but I hooked Krabby. With some strategy with the bait, I caught it.  
We found many items and caught many Pokemon. I got two Max Potions, Carbos tablets, Protein tablets, and TM 32. I caught Nidoran female, Exeggcute, Venonat, Slowpoke, and Rhyhorn. Izzy got Full Restore, TM 40 (Skull Bash), and Max Revive. He caught Kangaskhan, Paras, Psyduck, and Doduo.  
As we were walking around zone 3, Izzy noticed something on the ground.  
"Hey, Squirtel," Izzy motioned. "Look! It's the warden's false teeth." I looked around for where he was talking about, and instead found something much more.  
"Izzy, I found the hidden house!" I whispered excitedly. While Izzy retrieved the teeth I ran into the house where a young lady was seated.  
"Congratulations!" She shouted. "You're the first person to reach the sweepstakes hidden house! Here is your prize." She handed me another pamphlet, only this one said HM instead of TM. Izzy came in holding the teeth.  
"Let's go, Squirtel," he called. "We've spent enough time."  
Later...  
"Did you get a good haul?" the man at the front gate asked as he took our extra Safari Balls.  
"You bet!" I said. Izzy followed Nurse Joy's instructions on how to get to the warden's house. When we got there, the warden stuck his teeth into his mouth and thanked Izzy while giving Izzy the HM he earned.  



	8. Chapters 33 - 35

Chapter 33  
Princess for the Day  
  
"So Bill," Izzy started. "I'd say we caught an impressive collection. Now where to?"  
"You have caught impressive Pokemon," Bill mused. "From there, you go to Cinnabar Island. There, you'll try to beat Blaine. He trains fire Pokemon. Cinnabar is also known for its hot springs, so it's a tourist site. I suggest you make reservations at a hotel while you still can. There's also a Pokemon Lab, and an abandoned Pokemon mansion. I'm not sure why it was abandoned. In the Pokemon lab, you can bring in a fossil of a Pokemon and they'll bring it back to life! Do you have any fossils?"  
"I have a Dome fossil, and Izzy's got the Helix fossil," I specified. "We can go the Cinnabar later. Today is a day to celebrate!"  
"Why?" Izzy asked puzzled.  
"I almost forgot," Bill laughed. "Today is the Princess festival. It's the only day that everything goes on sale at extremely low prices. Girls and women get to shop and do everything that they want today. I feel sorry for you, Izzy! On the Princess festival day, girls make the rules. Ha! Ha! I can remember that. Better grab your cash, too, because girls don't have to pay for anything if they don't want to."  
Izzy just stared at the videophone in horror.  
"Yeah!" I cheered. "Girls rule!! So I'm going to let Butterfree out for the entire day! Come out, Butterfree!" I quickly informed Butterfree on the significance of the day and she gave Beedrill an evil look.  
"Squirtel, I suggest you switch a few of your Pokemon," Bill suggested. "There's bound to be a few tournaments today. Better have a more varied team." I checked my Pokeballs.  
"I'll change Beedrill for Nidoran," I decided. After I hung up, I grabbed Izzy by the arm and headed for the first store.  
While I was there, I saw Misty.  
"Misty!" I waved. "Over here!" Misty looked up and smiled as she walked over to greet me.  
"I just love this day!" she exclaimed. "Ash and Brock have to do everything I say!"  
"I love it too," I beamed. "Izzy does everything for me, and Beedrill has to do everything Butterfree says. It's great!"  
"Want to shop with me?" Misty asked. I nodded my head in agreement. "Okay! Oh, boys! Come here!" Ash and Brock walked over by Izzy.  
"I hate this day," Brock groaned.  
"Me too," Izzy sighed.  
"Me three," Ash joined. Misty and I just exchanged excited glances.  
"Misty and I decided to do our shopping together!" I told them.  
"Do we have to pay for you too?!" Ash moaned.  
"No!" Izzy pouted. "I do."  
"Hey!" Misty shouted. "Look at that! It's so pretty!"  
And so the shopping began. After half an hour of mall hopping, we let the boys have a rest.  
"I didn't know that shopping was a dangerous sport until today," Ash moaned. He was right. Sometimes you really had to fight to get something you wanted when so many other people wanted the same thing too.  
"I'll never look at a shopping bag the same way again," Izzy wailed.  
"I don't think I could handle being a woman," Brock sighed.  
Misty and I were having a fine time looking over our stuff. Even Butterfree was having fun. Squirtle and Beedrill were not.  
"Attention!" a loudspeaker voice boomed. "All princesses who want to join the Princess Festival contest, please prepare themselves now and make their way to the podium."  
"Looks like this is where we part," I said to Misty. "See you later!"  
"See you later!" Misty called.  
I picked out my dress I was going to wear and walked to the podium that the contest was being held at. Some people there gave us all a fake crown to wear. I put mine on, and looked around for Misty. I found someone else.  
"Hey!" I shouted. "You're that woman from Team Rocket! Jesse, I think."  
"That's right, you little brat," she scoffed. "And I'm going to win this!"  
"We'll see," I scowled.  
Everyone was aligned in a line as the curtain went up. There was a large crowd to see us. I searched around and saw Izzy. It wasn't hard to see him. I had to send Butterfree and Nidoran back into their Pokeballs, but I left Squirtle out of his. I could pick Izzy out of the crowd because he had Squirtle in his lap and Beedrill on his shoulders. After the announcer explained that the prize would be a set of collectible princess dolls and a picture with movie sensation Fearaelo, he told us to prepare our Pokeballs. Apparently it was also a Pokemon tournament. Four Pokemon per person.  
"All right, Izzy," I told him when I went to get Squirtle. "I'll use Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Butterfree."  
The battles were tough, but I won most of them. I lost when I came up against Misty.  
"Sorry you lost," Izzy said cheering me up.  
"It's all right," I shrugged. "Those dolls weren't that nice. You know what would cheer me up?"  
"What?" he asked.  
"Some more shopping!" I laughed.  
  
Chapter 34  
Cinnabar  
  
"We better call Bill and switch our Pokemon," Izzy suggested.  
"First you should know what Pokemon he uses," Bill told us. "He has a Growlithe at level 42, Ponyta at level 40, Rapidash at level 42, and Arcanine at level 47."  
"I want Squirtle, Slowpoke, Goldeen, Rhyhorn, Charmander, and Snorlax," I reported.  
"I don't want to have to transfer Beedrill, but I have no choice," Izzy said sadly. "I'll take Seel, Lapras, Psyduck, Tentacool, Charmander and Geodude."  
We boarded our ship, with much nervousness from the last time we were on a boat, and checked out who was on board.  
"Hi Ash, Misty, and Brock," I smiled. "We ran into you easily. Are you going to Cinnabar to challenge Blaine?"  
"You bet!" Ash said excitedly.  
"You're clueless, like always," I heard Gary's despicable voice say. "There hasn't been a gym on Cinnabar since my grandpa's days as a trainer." He looked up at me. "Hello, Meadow! Come to ask me if you can join my cheerleading squad?" Izzy glared darkly at Gary and motioned me to follow him.  
"In your dreams," I said quickly. Izzy took me to the other side of the ship.  
"Stay away from him," he ordered.  
"You don't have to tell me twice," I growled. "What a creep."   
A few hours later we landed on Cinnabar. We checked out the Pokemon lab first. We dropped off our fossils and left. Before we left, a nice lady gave me a new TM. TM 35, Metronome.  
"What does Metronome do?" Izzy asked.  
"Metronome makes your Pokemon use other TMs at random," she explained.  
"Neat," I thought. "Izzy, let's check out the gym. I bet Gary was wrong."  
We walked towards the gym that was on the directions that Bill lent us. Instead we found a pile of wreckage.  
"What happened?!" I exclaimed.  
"Tourists," A man wearing sunglasses said behind us. Izzy and I whipped around. "Tourists became so numerous that Pokemon trainers stopped coming. Blaine was tired of battling people who cared more about post cards and T-shirts than about Pokemon. He boarded up and abandoned his gym. Tourists have wreaked this island!"  
"That's not fair," Izzy complained. "We're Pokemon trainers and we wanted to battle Blaine for a badge!" The man leaned down a bit, so as nobody could hear him.  
"I'll tell you a little secret," he whispered. "Blaine has another gym that nobody knows about. It's in a place where no firefighter could win."  
"What are you talking about?" I asked.  
"It's a riddle," Izzy explained.  
"Here's my card if you're looking for a place to stay for the night," the man said handing us a card.  
"The Big Riddle Inn," I read.  
"If you hate tourists so much, why do you have a hotel?" Izzy asked. But when we looked back up he was gone.  
"That was a little creepy," I shivered. "Let's go explore the abandoned mansion." "Wow," Izzy said after we saw the entrance room. "It's huge."  
"Look over there," I pointed. A Ponyta was walking around. "I'm gonna catch it!"  
"It's my turn," Izzy whined.  
"Go find you own then," I told him. "I want this one. Izzy, don't give me that look. You can catch the next two Pokemon."  
I sent out Slowpoke to use Water Gun. It wasn't just enough to faint it, but when Ponyta attacked with Ember, it didn't do hardly any damage. I used my Pokeball and caught it.  
"While you were battling my Pokemon, I found some rope," Izzy boasted. "Now it's mine."  
"Okay," I shrugged. "Let's go up to the next floor." We walked up the flight of stairs and came face to face with a Koffing, which Izzy gladly caught. We decided to look to the right half of the floor first. We came against a locked door.   
"Rats," I thought. We headed back to the stair and noticed the statue. I walked up to it to get a closer look.  
"Izzy, there's a switch here," I pointed out. "Should I push it?"  
"Why not?" Izzy chirped. We heard a click down the hall that we just walked out of, so we turned heel and walked back to see that the door was open. There wasn't much to see except a table with a diary page on it. Being such a curious kid, Izzy went and picked it up.  
"June 4," he read. "Today we found the mysterious and ancient Pokemon we've been searching for. We called this new Pokemon 'Mew'."  
"Wow, a new Pokemon," I speculated. "Let's go back and check out the other side." Once again, we encountered a locked door. This time, we knew how to handle it. After opening the door, we found another diary entry.  
"July 10," I read. "Mew gave birth!" We walked on in search of some more entries; we found some Calcium tablets.  
"Not much left to see here," I decided. "Let's go to the next floor." We took the stairs we labeled as C. It led us to an empty room except for the diary entry.  
"August 20," Izzy reported. "We named the newborn 'Mewtwo'."   
We walked up a different set of stairs, and came up against a burglar.  
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Go away! Go, Ponyta!"  
"Go Lapras," Izzy called out. "Use Water Gun." Two Water Guns and Ponyta was down for the count. We scared off the burglar. There wasn't anything to see, but the ledge.  
"Izzy, the basement is down there," I said pointing. I let down some of the rope that we had and we climbed down to the basement.  
"Look, Squirtel, another diary entry," Izzy said.  
"September 15," I commented. "Mewtwo's powers are uncontrollable. The Pokemon's anger is out of control, and it's destroying the entire building." The rest of the page was ripped.  
"So that's why it was abandoned," I thought. "Mewtwo tried to destroy everything."  
"Let's go," Izzy waved. Before we left, Izzy caught a Grimer.  
"Let's go to the hotel that guy runs," I persuaded. "His card says that his hotel can be found in a riddle. If you look to the swings, you'll see my hands or at least my face."  
"That's a tough one," Izzy groaned. "Well, the swings are in the park, but I don't see anyone's hands or face."  
"It's a clock," I figured. I was right. We walked towards the town clock and found the hotel.  
"You got the riddle," the man congratulated. "As a prize, I'll let you stay here for free." That was a very nice prize. After a meal, we settled in a room and chatted about tomorrow.  
"We have to find Blaine's gym," I urged. "We also have to check out the hot springs here."  
  
Chapter 35  
Blaine's Gym   
  
"Read what it says on the door," Izzy requested the next morning, while we were eating. I got up and looked at the notice framed on the door.  
"It says that this hotel does have hot springs," I read. "Hot springs had been thought to have healing powers for many years, like the fountain of youth. Although scientist have proven that this statement is not true, hot springs have been known to speed up the healing process significantly.   
After that, most of the notice was a warning to people with heart conditions, ect. I did find something of importance.   
"It says that the springs are divided up into two sides. The girl's and the boy's sides. Bathing suits may not be worn. A towel may be wrapped around yourself." I could feel my face start to glow red and turn warm.  
"I don't know about you, but I'm wearing a towel," I commented. I turned around to see what Izzy had to say and found him stuffing his face with breakfast and hardly listening to me. "Fine. Get embarrassed later."  
We walked down to the springs and got behind our own side of the wall that divided the spring in two. Squirtle stayed on mine. I was wondering about the location of Blaine's gym.  
"What could be so powerful that a firefighter couldn't win?" I pondered. Squirtle had learned a new swimming stunt and was trying desperately to get me to notice. Unfortunately for Squirtle, I was too involved in my own thoughts to notice. Squirtle started getting fed up with me, and climbed on top of the statue of a Gyarados that poured water into the pool. I lifted my head at the feeling someone was watching and turned around to see Squirtle on top of the statue.  
"Squirtle get down from there!" I ordered. "That's hot water!" Squirtle just frowned and stamped his foot. The statue started to slide down and a wall of stone slid sideways revealing a hidden passageway. At the same time, it knocked down the wall that was separating Izzy and me. I had a towel wrapped around me, and Izzy did too, luckily.  
"What did you do?!" Izzy screamed.  
"I didn't do anything!" I yelled back. "Squirtle did."  
"Let's get dressed and tell Blaine," Izzy decided. "And if we have to pay for that wooden wall, you're paying." I rolled my eyes and agreed.  
I walked down to the main desk after I was dressed, but I didn't see the owner anywhere. I walked back to the springs and saw Izzy poking his head in the hidden passageway.  
"What are you doing?" I asked. "Oh, and that riddle guy wasn't there."  
"Squirtel, there's a staircase leading downstairs in here," Izzy smiled. "Let's check it out!" I wasn't about to risk my neck just to check out a mysterious path, but I didn't have much of a choice. Izzy took off down the stairs with Squirtle following. Reluctantly, I followed too.  
At the bottom of the stairway, there were two huge metal doors. I reached for the handle and pulled back quickly.  
"Ow!" I shouted. "That door is burning hot!" I had Squirtle gently Water Gun my hand to soothe it. The doors slid open on their own and Izzy walked right in.  
"Oh my gosh," Izzy whispered. "There's an entire gym hanging over this volcano!"  
"Do you think this is Blaine's Gym?" I asked Izzy.  
"I do," he replied. "After all, no firefighter could win in a volcano. There's just too much fire." I nodded as I realized how all the evidence pointed towards one answer. I then heard a voice laugh. I looked up from my hand to see the owner of the hotel on the other side.  
"One more riddle," he cackled. "You only were it because you lost it. It also keeps your head dry in the rain."  
"An umbrella?" I guessed.  
"No," Izzy shook his head. "It's a wig."  
"Wig is correct," the owner said lifting his wig off his head. He also removed his sunglasses. "I'm Blaine. The gym leader."  
"If that's true, then I challenge you to a match," I offered. "And tomorrow, my friend, Izzy, will battle you."  
"Fine with me," Blaine accepted. "I chose Growlithe."  
"I chose Rhyhorn," I decided. "Rhyhorn, use Horn attack." Rhyhorn ran towards Growlithe and hit it with his horn.  
"Growlithe, use Ember," Blaine ordered. Growlithe's embers didn't do hardly any damage.  
"Rhyhorn, use Strength," I called out. Izzy lent me his HM that he had gotten earlier so I could teach Rhyhorn. Rhyhorn picked Growlithe up with its horn and tossed it into the air.  
"Growlithe, use Leer," Blaine shouted. Growlithe got up and stared Rhyhorn straight into his eyes, decreasing Rhyhorn's defense slightly.  
"Rhyhorn, use Stomp," I directed. After stomping on Growlithe, I decided that Fury Attack would faint Growlithe.  
"Growlithe, use Take Down," Blaine ordered. Once again, it didn't affect Rhyhorn that much and it fainted Growlithe. Blaine called it back.  
"Ponyta, use Fire Spin," Blaine called. Rhyhorn's energy was getting a bit low, and Ponyta's Fire Spin was overpowering. I had to retreat Rhyhorn.  
"I chose Snorlax," I said. "Snorlax, use Metronome."   
The metronome made Snorlax do Mimic. For this battle, he now knows how to use Stomp. Ponyta used its own Stomp, but it didn't work that well. Snorlax was so fat it could hardly feel any attacks. I just had Snorlax keep using Metronome. He was bound to come across something that worked really well. This time, he used Fissure. Fissure doesn't always work. It did this time. Snorlax got up, slammed his foot onto the arena, and shook Ponyta up so bad that it fainted instantly.  
"Ponyta return," Blaine recalled. "Go, Rapidash, use Fire Spin." Two more Fire Spins would faint Snorlax. Snorlax used Horn Drill. Another attack that was supposed to instantly knock out it's opponent. It didn't' work this time. Rapidash Fire Spun Snorlax again.  
"Last shot with Snorlax," I thought. This time, Snorlax used Cut. It didn't faint Rapidash, but Rapidash fainted Snorlax.  
"I choose you, Charmander," I chose. "Use your Slash attack!" Once again, it wasn't enough to faint Rapidash, but it was really close.  
"Rapidash, use your Stomp again!" Blaine shouted. It took out one-third of Charmander's energy.  
"One more Slash, Charmander," I encouraged him. He beat Rapidash. Blaine recalled and sent out Arcanine to use Take Down attack. His Arcanine was so powerful, it fainted my Charmander. I decided it was time to bring out the water.  
"Go, Goldeen, use your Waterfall attack," I ordered. Goldeen's Waterfall really got Arcanine good. It still wouldn't faint. Another Take Down took Goldeen down. I brought out Slowpoke to use Water Gun. Still, Arcanine wouldn't faint, but Slowpoke didn't either. Slowpoke had a lot of HP. So did Arcanine. Another Water Gun was enough to faint Arcanine, finally.  
"You did well," Blaine congratulated handing me the Volcano Badge I earned. "And tomorrow we'll see how well you do." Izzy swallowed a little. I could tell he was slightly nervous.  
Back at our room, Izzy did another cheer like he had at Sabrina's gym.  
"You cheer all you want," I warned. "But prepare yourself for an amazingly hard battle."  



	9. Chapters 36 - 39

Chapter 36  
Battling Blaine  
  
In the room there is an alarm clock. I figured if I couldn't get up earlier than Izzy, I'd at least get up at the same time. I woke up to the sound of beeping. Stupid alarm. Without even realizing it, I hit the snooze button. The next time I woke up, it was because Squirtle was jumping around on my bed. Even I couldn't sleep through that.  
While eating breakfast, Izzy chatted about beating Blaine.  
"Do you think we should pick up our new fossil Pokemon before or after the battle?" I asked Izzy.  
"After!" he shouted. "I want to beat Blaine!"  
"Before you do that, I think we should ask Bill we're we go next," I suggested. I finished my breakfast and called Bill.  
"Where to?" I quizzed Bill.  
"Well, you need at least eight badges to get into the League," Bill explained. "I supposed you could go to Viridian City and challenge that gym leader."  
"Viridian city?!" I yelled. "Why didn't you tell me about the Viridian gym while I was there?!"  
"Calm down," Bill said annoyed. "I didn't tell you because it was locked at the time. It's open now. I wish I could tell you which Pokemon to take with you, but I'm not sure what he trains. I suggest you take a assorted team of Pokemon."  
I thanked Bill for the advice, and hung up. I met Izzy in the lobby and gave him the news that Bill told me.  
"I've seen that gym lots of times," Izzy told me. "Remember, I live in Indigo Plateau, so I've been to Viridian plenty of times. That gym's been locked up for years. I'm curious to see what kind of Pokemon we face in that gym. In the mean time, let's go battle Blaine!"  
"Hello, Izzy, today is the day you face me," Blaine greeted inside of his gym. "I'll start off with Ponyta!"  
"I'll start with Geodude," Izzy decided tossing his Pokeball. "Geodude use Earthquake!" Geodude floated upwards and then smashed into the ground causing Ponyta to lose its balance.  
"Ponyta, use Stomp!" Blaine ordered. It didn't do much damage. Geodude had a major advantage. Not only would Ponyta's fire attacks not work, but its normal attacks were useless as well. After Geodude used Earthquake again, Ponyta tried another Stomp in hope of cracking Geodude and failed. The last Earthquake fainted Ponyta.  
"Ponyta return," Blaine recalled. "Go Growlithe, use Agility and then Take Down." Growlithe ran quickly around Geodude to make him dizzy and then rammed into his back, causing Geodude to faint. Even Geodude has only so much HP.  
"Geodude you did great," Izzy congratulated. "I chose Charmander. Charmander, use your Slash attack." Charmander took a swipe at Growlithe and hit, in spite of the fact that Agility increased Growlithe's ability to avoid attacks.  
"Growlithe, use Take Down," Blaine commanded. Growlithe smacked into Charmander, who stumbled forward from the impact.  
"Charmander, use Skull Bash," Izzy instructed. After the hit, I tried to decipher how much HP Growlithe had left.  
I thought for a moment, "Not much." I was so absorbed in my thoughts; I missed hearing Blaine tell Growlithe to Take Down Charmander again. Not only did Charmander faint, but also Growlithe did too from the recoil.  
Izzy sent out Tentacool, while Blaine used Rapidash.  
"Tentacool, use Water Gun," Izzy bid. I remembered how tough Rapidash and Arcanine were. When the Water Gun didn't faint Rapidash, it was no surprise to me.  
"Rapidash, use Fire Spin," Blaine demanded. It wasn't very effective. It took two Water Guns to faint Rapidash. Then Blaine sent out his strongest Pokemon.  
"Arcanine, just Take Down any water type Pokemon," Blaine called out.  
Arcanine ran over Tentacool like he was nothing. Izzy had to send out Psyduck. Psyduck attacked with Surf. I figured it take three more water attacks to faint Arcanine. It only took one to faint Psyduck. Izzy had to react fast. He sent out Seel, who used another Surf. Arcanine attacked him with ease.  
This was Izzy's last shot. He sent out Lapras, who tried Sing to make Arcanine fall asleep. It didn't work, but neither did Arcanine's attack.  
"Lapras, use Water Gun," said Izzy. I hoped it was enough to faint Arcanine. It was! Blaine gave Izzy the Volcano badge and congratulated us both by giving us TM 38, Fire Blast, which was the strongest attack any fire Pokemon could learn.  
"Let's go pick up our fossils," I suggested.  
"Sure but what do we do afterwards?" Izzy asked.   
"I suppose we should go back to Viridian," I assumed. "If we don't make before dark, we should rest in Pallet Town. Actually, I was going to drop in on Professor Oak again if I could."  
We decided that we would visit Professor oak and put pedal to the metal to try and get back to Viridian City in the same day. As for now, we were going to see what new Pokemon we got.  
"Are those fossils Pokemon yet?" Izzy joked.  
"Actually, they are," one attendant replied. "The Helix fossil turned into an Omanyte and the Dome fossil turned into Kabuto. We'd have them here, but their Pokeballs disappeared."  
Izzy turned towards me and groaned, "I hate that rule about only six Pokemon at a time. It's a silly rule."  
I shrugged and nodded. We said goodbye and walked towards the wharf.  
"I think we have a problem," I moaned when we arrived on the scene.  
"What?" Izzy asked. I pointed to a sign.  
The sign read, "Gone fishin'." It was a pun, I'm sure, but the main point is the boats weren't running today.  
"How are we going to get to Pallet?" I asked in despair.  
"If we head north," I heard Izzy mumble. "Squirtel, I think I've solved our problems. We'll swim over on Lapras's back. Come out Lapras." We climbed on top of Lapras and set sail.  
It was only a few hours until we set foot in Pallet Town. I stretched and started towards Professor Oak's lab.  
"Professor?" I asked the empty room. History is repeating itself. I felt like any moment I'd see Gary walking out with his cheerleaders, and Ash running in the room dressed in pajamas. I only saw Professor Oak walk in.  
"Hello there, Meadow, err, I mean Squirtel," Oak greeted. "And who's this strapping young man accompanying you?"  
"I'm Izzy," introduced Izzy.  
"Have you two collected many Pokemon?" Oak laughed.  
"Actually, I've caught about twenty two," Izzy said modestly.  
"I've caught twenty five," I smiled. That meant that Izzy was allowed to catch the next three Pokemon so we'd be even.  
"You've caught a lot," Oak observed. "Are you going to the Pokemon League?"  
We shook our head. That last badge was a real obstacle.  
"We better get going, Squirtel," Izzy motioned. I looked at the clock to double check. He was right.  
"We have to go now, Professor Oak," I waved farewell, dashing for the door. We hopped on our bikes and pedaled like mad. Although Squirtle was ticked off about the speeds again, we made it to Viridian City, where we stayed at the Pokemon Center. Izzy and I switched our Pokemon with Bill. I took Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Pesky, Butterfree, and Pikachu. Izzy selected Beedrill, Lapras, Charmander, Palmpal, Fearow, and Pikachu.  
"You copy cat," I teased.  
"What in the world do you mean?" Izzy said angrily. I gave him a small shove.  
"Well not only did you copy the element types but you also took Charmander, Fearow, and Pikachu," I laughed. He grinned and shoved me back.  
"You copied me, you mind reader," he chuckled. We stayed up all night teasing each other and throwing insults at one another. If Nurse Joy hadn't walked into the lobby to tell us it was curfew time, we would have been up past midnight.  
  
Chapter 37  
The Mysterious Gym  
  
"Are you ready to go?" I asked impatiently.  
"Just a sec," Izzy called back. He had been on the phone telling his parents that he'd be dropping in after we got our badge. "All right, let's go!"  
We walked up to the gym, whose 'Currently Closed' sign had been removed. We walked in to a very large and expensive looking gym.  
"Who's there?" we heard a familiar voice shout. I couldn't remember whom, though.  
"We're here to win the Earth Badge," Izzy shouted.  
"One minute," the male voice grumbled. A man appeared from behind a curtain. It was Giovanni.  
"What are you doing here?!" I asked shocked.  
"I own this gym and the Earth Badge that you want so badly," he retorted. "I remember you two from Saffron City. You are very strong, but so am I. I will battle you, boy, today, and you, girl, tomorrow."  
"Fine with me," Izzy grumbled. "I'll start with Pikachu!"  
"I chose Rhyhorn," Giovanni shouted. "Rhyhorn use Horn Drill!"  
It was a one hit knock out. At least Izzy knew what Pokemon to use now.  
"I chose Lapras," Izzy decided. "Lapras, use Surf!" A wall of water crashed over Rhyhorn. Rock is so weak to water that it was an instant knock out too.  
"I chose Dugtrio," Giovanni decided. "Dugtrio, use Earthquake." The Earthquake shook the gym fiercely, but Lapras held her ground.  
"Lapras, use another Surf," Izzy commanded. It had the same result as it had with Rhyhorn.  
"Dugtrio return," Giovanni recalled. "Go, Nidoqueen, use Poison Sting!" Lapras was poisoned and was weakening.  
"Lapras, use Ice Beam!" Izzy said confidently. The Ice Beam took out half of Nidoqueen's HP.  
"Body Slam, Nidoqueen," Giovanni demanded. She fainted Lapras. While recalling Lapras, Izzy sent out Palmpal.  
"Palmpal, use Sleep Powder," Izzy called. Nidoqueen fell asleep. "Now Double-Edge!" It took two, but Nidoqueen fainted. Giovanni sent out Nidoking to use Thrash. Thrash does a lot of damage, but it confuses your Pokemon. He didn't faint Palmpal, though it came close.  
"Palmpal, Sleep Powder again," Izzy said thinking frantically of a strategy as he went. It didn't work. Nidoking used Thrash successfully again.  
"Palmpal, return," Izzy called. "I chose Fearow! Fearow, use Drill Peck." I figured that it would take one or two more of those to faint Nidoking. Nidoking tried Thrash again, but because he was confused he hurt himself instead. It only took another Drill Peck to faint Nidoking.  
"I chose Rhydon," Giovanni shouted.  
"Squirtel, what is that thing?" Izzy whispered hoarsely.  
"Rhydon," I read. " Rhydon lives far underground where temperatures reach well over 2000 degrees. Its rock-like hide protects it from the extreme heat and pressure."  
"That's one tough beat," Izzy thought. "I hope Fearow is up to it."  
"Fearow use Drill Peck," Izzy directed. The Drill Peck was so ineffective I could have sworn that Fearow bent his beak.  
"Rhydon, use Stomp," Giovanni laughed. It fainted Fearow in no time.  
"All right then!" Izzy said angrily. "I'll use Charmander!"  
"Don't get frustrated, Izzy," I thought to myself. "Charmander isn't going to work. Beedrill isn't going to do much either. Izzy better start praying for a miracle."  
"Charmander, use Rage," Izzy yelled. It looked to me like Izzy was the one using Rage.  
"Izzy, chill," I said annoyed. He turned around and frowned. Rhydon just stood there and took the beating Charmander was trying to give it.  
"Rhydon, use Horn Drill," Giovanni chuckled. He certainly was sure of himself, even though Charmander dodged the attack. Rhydon used Stomp on its own a few times and fainted Charmander. It still had nearly all it's HP left.  
"Go Beedrill," Izzy fumed. "Use Twin Needle."  
Giovanni didn't look too worried, but he did stop laughing when he saw that Twin Needle wasn't as ineffective as he thought.  
"Rhydon, use Horn Drill," Giovanni growled. Beedrill avoided it easily.  
"Now, Beedrill, use Pin Missile," Izzy encouraged, calming down a bit. It worked fairly well. The once unstoppable Rhydon was now getting tired.  
"Rhydon, use Stomp," Giovanni grumbled. Rhydon couldn't catch Beedrill. Beedrill was much too fast.  
"Beedrill, use Pin Missile again, and then use Twin Needle," Izzy said grinning.  
"Rhydon, use Fury Attack!" Giovanni shouted nervously. Beedrill used Pin Missile, but was hit with a very strong Fury Attack. Rhyhorn tried one last attack on Beedrill and missed as Beedrill soared into the air and Twin Needled Rhydon for the faint and the win!  
Giovanni, after recalling Rhydon, glared angrily at Izzy. Then, he tossed Izzy an Earth Badge from the podium and left quickly. Izzy stared at his badge with amazement.  
"That had to be the toughest battle ever," Izzy said in awe. "And I won. I actually won. Yeah! I won! I won!"  
"Come on, winner," I teased. "Let's go back to the Pokemon Center."  
  
Chapter 38  
The Final Badge  
  
"Hello, Squirtel," Bill greeted when I called him. Now that I've seen Izzy battling, I know what Pokemon to pick.  
"I'd like to make a switch," I requested. "I'm giving back Charmander, Pesky, and Pikachu. In exchange, I want Goldeen, Bellsprout, and Venonat." I got the Pokemon that I requested and informed Izzy that I was ready to go.  
"Hey, Squirtel, look at this," Izzy boasted as he lifted the flap of his shirt. All eight badges were aligned in a circle. "Today, you get your eighth badge. I bet it will be easier for you than it was for me. At least you know what you're up against." I made a mocking face and grabbed his arm while heading out the door.  
"Giovanni!" I shouted into the room. I saw Giovanni come from behind that one curtain and sit down in a chair.  
"Hello there, err, young lady," Giovanni smiled. "Ready to battle?"  
"Ready as I'll ever be," I challenge. "Go, Goldeen!"  
"Go, Rhyhorn," Giovanni chose. "Use Stomp!" Rhyhorn stomped on Goldeen's tail. I couldn't even begin to imagine how much that must of hurt. I never had a boulder land on me.  
"Goldeen, shake it off and use Waterfall," I comforted her. Goldeen created a waterfall to fall on Rhyhorn. It fainted right away.  
"Rhyhorn, return," Giovanni frowned. "Go Nidoqueen! Use Poison Sting." Nidoqueen slammed Goldeen, poison barb first. I could tell that Goldeen was poisoned.  
"I wonder what that feels like," I pondered. "Well, no time to think about that now. I better act fast."  
"Goldeen, use another Waterfall!" I shouted. Goldeen used the last of her strength to create another Waterfall before falling over and fainting from the poison.  
"Good job, Goldeen," I said to the Pokeball that contained her. "Go Bulbasaur! Use Body Slam!" I started making estimates of HP. Bulbasaur had all of his, and Nidoqueen probably had a little less than half, now.  
"Nidoqueen, show them your Body Slam," Giovanni laughed. Nidoqueen ran over Bulbasaur. It did a lot of damage. More than Bulbasaur. I looked at my Bulbasaur in despair, while hearing Giovanni laughing his head off. I hated that despicable laugh.  
"I see nothing humorous about this!" I shouted at him. Now I can see why Izzy was getting upset. This guy had the ability to really get on your nerves. "Bulbasaur, use Sleep Powder!" The same bluish powder I've seen so many times before never looked better as it sent Nidoqueen snoozing. Giovanni stopped laughing and started scowling. "Bulbasaur, keep Body Slamming her." I watched as Bulbasaur slammed into Nidoqueen numerous times while Giovanni watch helplessly as Nidoqueen slept through it all. Now it was my turn to laugh, even though I didn't. I had more class than that. Eventually, Bulbasaur won. In rage, Giovanni sent out Nidoking and ordered him to use Thrash. It knocked out Bulbasaur. While I recalled Bulbasaur, Giovanni seemed to relax a little.  
"Go Venonat!" I decided. "Use your Sleep Powder like Bulbasaur did," This time, it didn't work. Nidoking was just too pumped up to go to sleep. Instead, he continued to use Thrash. Time to just go with an out-and-out offensive plan. "Venonat, use Psybeam over and over." Poison is weak to Psychic attacks. The first one took out a hunk of Nidoking's strength. It would only take about three, I estimated.  
Nidoking was getting confused now. He hurt himself instead of Venonat. It wasn't long before Venonat knocked out Nidoking, although her strength was getting low. We both recalled our Pokemon at the same time. He sent out Rhydon and I sent out Bellsprout.  
"Bellsprout, use Vine Whip!" I yelled my instructions. It was very effective. Rhydon just used Take Down for an immediate knock out. I wasn't too worried. I sent out Butterfree, even though Flying is weak to Rock.  
"Butterfree, use Confusion!" I shouted in my excitement. It wouldn't be long now. Rhydon did a swift knock out. Giovanni smiled evilly to himself and looked down to see my reaction. To his surprise, I had the same smug smile on my face. I recalled Butterfree and looked down at Squirtle and winked.  
"Squirtle, use Water Gun!" I called happily. Rhydon didn't stand a chance. Giovanni stood on his podium, greatly surprised. He didn't say a word as he recalled his Rhydon.   
The only words I heard were, "Take your badge and go." He tossed the badge in my direction. I walked out of the gym staring at the badge that would enable me to go to the Pokemon league.  
"Way to go," Izzy chuckled as we walked towards the Pokemon Center. I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss and started running to get to the Pokemon Center. I had to call Joy in Celadon. I had a lot to gab about.  
  
Chapter 39  
An Emergency  
  
I can't believe Izzy let me sleep in today. I suppose hiding my watch so he couldn't set it helped a little. As soon as it was morning and I had my breakfast, I grabbed my Pokeballs and biked towards Indigo Plateau. Then, a realization hit me like a ton of bricks.  
"Umm, Izzy," I snickered.  
"What?" he asked puzzled.  
"We forgot to revitalize our Pokemon," I smiled. "I set up a small resting area and make lunch if you take our Pokemon." It was a tempting offer that Izzy couldn't pass up.  
"Even Squirtle?" he asked grabbing my Pokeballs. I nodded as he had Beedrill make more room in the basket. I watched Izzy ride off before setting things up.  
I just had gotten started when I heard a voice that sent chills up my spine.  
"Alone at last," I heard Gary speak. "Well, now I think we can talk without any interruptions."  
"You don't give up," I groaned, picking up my stuff to leave. "What is it with you anyway? What part of 'no' don't you understand?"  
"I don't take no for an answer when I see something I want," Gary said smoothly. "I know you were just saying no because that wuss of a trainer was nearby and you didn't want to hurt his feelings. Now's your chance, we'll leave while he's at the Pokemon Center." I gave him an ugly look and started to walk away. "You better stay, or I'll make you stay!"  
"Buzz off, twerp," I sneered. I turned around to catch a glimpse of his reaction and saw that he was bright red with fury.  
"If that's how it must be," Gary trailed off. "Nidorino, use Poison Sting on her!" I didn't like the sound of that. I took off running, but I wasn't fast enough.   
In a split second, I could feel the warmness of sheer pain start in a pinpoint of my leg and flow all the way up my side. I fell over, dropping everything. I was suddenly so weak I could barely open my eyes. I could feel something warm and wet on my leg, and knowing it was blood, tried to get up but could barely move. I knew from reading books in Joy's Pokemon Center what the effects of being hit by a Nidorino could be. They weren't very lovely. A second before I passed out, I whispered faintly to the air around me, "Izzy."   
  
Elsewhere...  
  
"Thanks Nurse Joy," Izzy waved from the Pokemon Center. He hopped on his bike and pedaled to where he had left me.  
"I wonder if Squirtel is doing okay," Izzy said to Beedrill and Squirtle.  
"Beedrill bee bee bee," Beedrill buzzed. (Don't worry, she's tough.)  
"Squirtle squirtle, squirt," Squirtle said in a worried tone. (I'm not sure, Beedrill.) "Squirtle squirtle squirt squirt squirtle." (I have a strange feeling something's wrong.)  
Izzy stopped a few feet away from where I supposedly was, and walked the rest of the way. When he saw all my stuff scattered around and a dark red stain on the ground, he stopped in his tracks and let his bike fall to the ground.  
"Squirtel," he called into the vast emptiness of the forest around. "Where are you? Squirtel?!" Squirtle was pacing around frantically, and found something useful.  
"Squirtle! Squirtle squirt squirt!" he shouted. (Izzy! Come over here!)  
"What is it, Squirtle?" Izzy asked panicky.  
"Squirtle," he said pointing. (Footprints.) Izzy stooped down and noticed them too.  
"Let's go," he shouted grabbing his bike and following the footsteps, rode.  
  
Somewhere else...  
  
I opened my eyes a crack to see and feel a rag being pushed to my nose. I breathed it in, not sure whatever it was soaked with would kill me or cure me. It made me feel a little better.  
"Nothing like a little antidote to cure Nidorino stings," I heard Gary's voice say in the dark. I was so weak I could hardly see him.  
"I didn't want it to come down to this, but you gave me no choice," I heard him sigh exasperated.  
"What do you want with me?" I whispered.  
"I don't want anything to do with you in particular," he sneered. "It's your skills as a Pokemon trainer, and your Pokemon that worries me. You see, you're very strong. Too strong. I don't want to risk you beating me in the Indigo League. I've worked so hard." I wanted to glare at him, but I didn't know where he was.  
"Where am I?" I groaned.  
"That's for me to know, and you to never find out," he jested. I was feeling a little better I could ask more important questions.  
"I won't join you," I growled. "So what are you going to do with me?"  
"Well," he smiled. "You can't be in the League without Pokemon, can you? I'm aware that boy has your Pokemon. I'll get a hold of them, and get rid of them. Whether I set them free or not, that depends on what happens."  
"What if you can't get a hold of my Pokemon?" I inquired.  
"You can't be a Pokemon trainer if you're too far away to make it in time," he said evilly. "And my Nidorino has plenty of venom left." The poison took effect again and I fainted to the sound of Gary and his nerve-shattering laugh.  
  
Izzy followed the footsteps to a small shack in the middle of nowhere. He wondered if that was where I was.  
"No time to wonder," Izzy thought. "Only time to act." He busted into the shack I was being held captive. I was unaware, because Gary had only given me enough antidote to stop the poison and wake me up a bit. I had fallen into poisonous slumber again. Only, Izzy didn't know that. Right now, the only thoughts in his head were what could be the worst thing that happened to me, and how he was going to get the person who did it. Quickly looking around, Izzy's sight came upon Gary.  
"You," he growled. "I've had enough of you!" With rage as his strength, Izzy gave Gary a good shot in the kisser. Gary responded by giving Izzy a black eye. Squirtle, too concerned with me to care whatever was happening, was yanking my hand and shaking me as hard as he could. I opened my eyes again to see Izzy holding Gary up with one hand by his shirt collar making demands.  
"Where's the antidote!?" Izzy shouted. Gary pointed it out. Izzy shoved him down to the ground. "Now get out of here, and don't stop running." Gary doubled out of there as fast as he could. That coward. Izzy quickly grabbed the antidote and put half onto the rag and pouring half onto my leg. In a matter of minutes, I was strong enough to walk.  
"Are you sure you're all right?" Izzy spoke in a soothing voice while helping me balance. I nodded. He led me to a nice shady and open place in the forest and examined my leg. I cried at first when he started pouring the peroxide on it to clean the wound, but calmed down after a bit. Then he gently started wrapping it up in bandages. "If he would have hurt you anymore than this I would have-"  
I didn't let him finish. Instead, I leaned over and gave him a long kiss for my gratitude. I leaned back on the tree to relax my leg when I was done. Izzy stopped and stared for a minute, smiled, and continued his work.  
"You're very welcome, Squirtel."  



	10. Chapter 40 - 45

Chapter 40  
Izzy's Parents  
  
"Are you sure you're all right?" Izzy asked concerned. He let me sleep in extra long today. That made a lot of difference in my health, but he's still been overprotective since yesterday.  
"Yes, Izzy," I sighed. "I can even walk."  
"Walk, yes," he stated. "Ride your bike, no." I started to argue, but Izzy was dead set on making me take it easy.  
"If I can walk, I can ride," I pointed out. He just ignored me and continued to wheel his bike next to mine. "It's going to take forever to get to Indigo." I didn't want to complain, but if it would get me on my bike...  
"You have no idea where we are," Izzy said annoyed. "At least I do. Gary took you awfully close to Indigo. We should get to where I live in about ten minutes."  
Sure enough, ten minutes later, I saw Izzy pointing out where he lived.  
"Hi mom," he smiled. A woman, who was obviously his mom, rushed up to hug him.  
"Is it you, son?!" she beamed. "I'm glad you're home! Oh, who's your friend?"  
"Hello," I introduced myself. "My name is Meadow, but everyone calls me Squirtel."  
"What a cute little nickname you have," she smiled. I tried hard to keep from rolling my eyes. "Just like a Squirtle. I see you have one."  
I nodded as I let out all my Pokemon. She made a nice comment on each one.  
"Come in!" she said ushering us in. "I'll put on some tea."  
"That's my mom," Izzy groaned. "Always making tea, and never offering soda or something nice like that."  
"That's okay," I laughed. "Joy fixed my sweet tooth a long time ago." I plopped into one of the chairs near Izzy. When Izzy's mom returned, she seemed to talk non-stop.  
"This tea is really good, Mrs. umm," I stammered.  
"Mrs. Romn," she beamed.   
I turned to Izzy and mouthed the words, "Izzy Romn."  
"Why don't I show you Izzy's room so you two can enjoy a more teen-friendly environment," Mrs. Romn offered. When I got to Izzy's room, I could see why he said he was a computer whiz. There were computer books and magazines piled all over the place. In the middle of his desk, which was also covered in computer junk and other garbage, was a sticker-covered computer. I thought my room was bad.  
"Home sweet home," Izzy laughed. He walked over to his computer and fired it up. "I'm going to give Bill a call to explain the Pokemon League a little bit to us."  
"Fine," I mumbled, sweeping a pile of books off his bed so I could sit down. In a matter of minutes, we were talking to Bill.  
"This is how it's broken up," Bill explained. "Your first four battles are on different types of fields. There's Water, Grass, Rock, and Ice. If you make it past all of those, then you go on a three on three battle. Oh, by the way, all the special fields are three on three. If you win that, you battle with six Pokemon. You do a six on six battle with a random trainer. The last battle will determine your placing in the League." I didn't know what to think. That's a lot of battles. If the gym leaders where hard, these people proved better than the gym leaders.  
Izzy hung up the connection on his computer.  
"We have a big challenge ahead of us," I commented.  
"Yeah, I'm nervous," he sighed.  
"You're always nervous," I joked. He just smiled and threw a pillow at me.  
"Be happy I'm not a nervous wreck after yesterday," he pointed out.  
"You were too mad to be nervous," I remembered. "I wouldn't be surprised if Gary ran all the way to his mommy's house after that beating you gave him!" I looked at Izzy's eye. It didn't appear black because I covered it up with make-up this morning so his mom wouldn't notice. It didn't get swollen, luckily, but as soon as we leave, Izzy was taking the make-up off. I checked on my leg. No covering that up. I had bandages wrapped around the puncture. At least you couldn't see that the skin around it was discolored.  
"I'm surprised mom didn't say anything more about your leg," he speculated. I pondered the same thing. Then my thoughts turned on something else.  
"How long are we going to stay?" I asked Izzy.  
"Hmm, let me see," he hummed. "Since I live next to Indigo Plateau, we'll stay here in the night and battle in the morning." It sounded reasonable.  
"Then what are we waiting for!" I shouted. "Let's go get registered ahead of time." Izzy shrugged and grabbed his stuff.  
  
Twenty minutes later...  
  
"Hello, young trainers," a woman greeted us. "If I could have some identification and then scan your badges, I'll let you know what field you play on." We showed her our Pokemon trainer licenses. After checking our badges for authenticity, she told us about the fields and requested that we push a button to see which field we play on first.  
I pushed the button when the field element symbols started flashing by. I got the Ice field first, and Izzy got the rock one.  
"Tomorrow, you'll battle," the attendant, explained. "Meadow will battle at 2:00 PM, and Izzy will battle at 1:30 PM." We thanked her and returned back at Izzy's home, where his dad had returned from work.  
"Hello," he grunted from the easy chair.  
"Oh, don't mind him," Izzy's mother sighed. "He's just worn out from work." We walked into the kitchen, where the videophone was, and called Bill to transport Pokemon.  
"I'm on the Ice field," I explained. "What type of Pokemon should I take?"  
"Remember," Bill warned. "Not all the trainers train just Ice types. They'll also bring things that are strong against Ice, and things strong against the types that are strong against Ice. Be careful."  
"All right," I thought. "I'll take Squirtle, Charmander, Hitmonchan, Goldeen, Pesky, and Krabby." I decided. It seemed safe enough.  
"I'm on Rock field so I'll take Beedrill, Lapras, Palmpal, Hitmonlee, Paras, and Geodude," he selected.  
Mrs. Romn prepared the cot so I could sleep that night in Izzy's room.  
"Hey, Izzy," I whispered. He groaned and ignored me.  
"Izzy," I tried again. Nothing.  
"Izzy Romn," I nagged. I plan to say his last name too if he ticks me off now.  
"What?" he asked agitated.  
"Are you excited?" I asked.  
"Yes," he yawned. "I'm even more sleepy. Good-night, Squirtel."  
"Good-night."  
  
Chapter 41  
The Ice & Rock Fields  
  
I woke up first, as a change. I had to be quite so I wouldn't wake Izzy up, for now, and so his mom didn't hear me. I decided it was my turn to be cruel. I decided to pull a triple stunt. First, I put my headphones on his head and prepared the music, then, I placed Beedrill in a position so he was staring at Izzy. The minute I pushed play on the headphones, I yanked the curtains open to reveal blinding sunlight. Izzy was furious.  
"Why did you do that?!" he screamed.  
"I said I'd get you, and I did," I laughed. Beedrill and Squirtle thought it was pretty funny too. Even Izzy had to laugh a little. We ate some breakfast and watched TV until it was around 1:00.  
"Let's go," Izzy called grabbing his Pokeballs. I prepared mine as usual. We got to the stadiums and looked around. I saw Ash in the distance. Calling him and his friends over, he explained he would be on the Water field first. We wished each other good luck. I continued my search for familiar faces and found someone else. Joy.  
"Joy?!" I laughed. The Nurse Joy I grew up with came over and gave me a hug.  
"Hello, Squirtel," she smiled. "I heard you were going to be playing on the ice field today. I decided to come to Indigo to watch your battles. I know you're wondering how I knew. Well, I was watching TV and they listed all the trainers competing. I really wished you would have called."  
"I'm sorry," I apologized. "If you're here, who's running the Pokemon Center?"  
"Chancey is," she explained.  
"I'm going to go get a seat at the Rock field so I can watch you battle, Izzy," Joy waved.  
When I thought I had seen everyone, one more person came to greet me.  
"Good luck, Squirtel," I heard a familiar voice. I turned around to see Robin, the psychic Pokemon trainer. He also was going to watch Izzy and I battle.  
Then, we heard the loudspeaker make an announcement, "Would the 1:30 competitors please make their way to the appropriate fields." I gave Izzy a kiss good luck and walked to the special set of seats for trainers who were watching, but also competing in the tournament.  
Izzy was going to face off against a girl named Conney.  
"I chose Jigglypuff," she sent out. I had to wonder why she would choose Jigglypuff.  
"Go, Hitmonlee," Izzy chose. There was a coin toss to see who would make attack call. Conney had won.  
"Jigglypuff, use Sing," she commanded. Hitmonlee already looked drowsy. As much as Izzy hates to shout at his Pokemon, I knew he would if it meant keeping them awake.  
"Don't fall asleep on me!" he shouted at Hitmonlee, coining a phrase I remember Lt. Surge using. It woke Hitmonlee up. "Now, use Rolling Kick!" It did major damage. Fighting weakens normal types, but Jigglypuff is known for it's high HP count. Next, Jigglypuff used Disable. It made Hitmonlee unable to use Rolling Kick for the rest of the battle.  
"Hitmonlee, use Focus Energy," Izzy called out. "Then, use Jump Kick." Hitmonlee stood in one spot as he focused his energy and got pumped up. Meanwhile, Jigglypuff use Double-Edge. It knocked Hitmonlee out of his trance and took off one-fourth of his HP. Hitmonlee used Jump Kick to faint Jigglypuff.  
"Jigglypuff, return," Conney recalled. "Go, Magneton."  
"This girl obviously wasn't expecting to go up against a rock type," I thought. "Electric is not only useless, but it's weak to Rock."  
"Magneton, use Supersonic," she called. The super-high pitched sound it made caused Hitmonlee to become confused. Izzy had to be careful so that Hitmonlee wouldn't start damaging himself.  
"Hitmonlee, try Jump Kick," Izzy said cautiously. It worked. Magneton and Hitmonlee were now on the same level of strength.  
"Magneton, use Thunder Wave," she called. It didn't work though.  
"Hitmonlee, use another Jump Kick," Izzy encouraged him. They seemed to do a good job. Hitmonlee just kicked itself instead. I knew that being confused would do that some time.  
"Magneton, use Swift," Conney directed. So much for Hitmonlee. After calling him back, Izzy used Geodude.  
"Geodude, use Rock Throw!" Izzy shouted. It nearly knocked out Magneton.  
"Magneton, use Thunder Wave," she pleaded. She probably wanted to paralyze Geodude before Magneton fainted. No luck. It didn't work.  
"Geodude, Tackle now," Izzy smiled. It fainted Magneton.  
"Magneton return," Conney said, frowning. "I'll use Psyduck!"  
"Hmm," Izzy thought. "Water is strong against Rock. I know! I only need one more knock out. She needs two. Perfect."  
"Geodude, Self-Destruct!" Izzy called. Geodude fainted itself and Psyduck. Conney was out of Pokemon. Izzy had won!  
"The victory goes to Blue trainer!" the referee shouted. The crowd screamed, me included. I quickly left my seat and went down to Izzy, who was still shaking from the pressure.  
"You did it!" I shouted. Izzy just smiled. He didn't know what to think or say other than he won, and now he's one battle closer to the championship.  
Ice and Rock Fields  
Part two  
  
My battle was to start immediately, so there was no time to celebrate. I told Izzy where to go, and rushed off. I was the red trainer for this battle.  
"I chose Goldeen!" I said throwing out my Pokeball. My opponent was a guy named John.  
"I chose Gyarados," he called out. I swallowed hard. Gyarados was an extremely hard beat. I won the coin toss.  
"Goldeen, use your Supersonic," I commanded. It didn't work.  
"Gyarados, use your Hydro Pump," John called out. It didn't have much of an effect.  
"Goldeen, use Horn Drill," I decided, hoping this would work. Horn Drill is an instant knock out move. If it worked, Goldeen would win. It missed.  
"That's my only chance," I thought. "I just have to keep trying until it hits.  
"Gyarados, use Dragon Rage!" John shouted. It nearly knocked out Goldeen.  
"Goldeen, try Horn Drill again," I pleaded. It didn't work. Gyarados bit Goldeen for the knock out.  
"Goldeen return," I said sadly. "Go Pesky, use Fury Attack!" Pesky attacked five times, taking down one-third of that water monster's HP.  
"Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!" John shouted in confidence. It missed.  
"Pesky, use Drill Peck!" I called. It took down another third. One more should do the trick. Gyarados used Dragon Rage. It did damage, but didn't faint Pesky. I had Pesky do one more Drill Peck for the win.  
"Gyarados return," John said coolly. "Go Gastly! Use Hypnosis!" Fearow started to lose altitude as it fell asleep. I remembered that using objects and Potions during battle was not forbidden in the League. I quickly whipped out my Pokeflute and played a quick tune. I woke Pesky up just before he was going to smack into the ground.  
"Pesky, use Fly!" I shouted. Pesky flew up quickly and dived into Gastly. It had worked despite the fact that many attacks don't work on Ghost types.  
"Gastly, use Confuse Ray!" John ordered. Pesky became confused. I had to be careful now.  
"Pesky, try Drill Peck!" I said slowly. It worked and Gastly fainted. The next Pokemon he sent out was Mankey.  
"Mankey, use Karate Chop!" John demanded. Pesky's strength was dwindling now.  
"Pesky, use Fly!" I called out. It worked and almost fainted Mankey. Mankey got the last laugh with Scratch, which fainted Pesky.  
"Go, Squirtle!" I called out. "Use Water Gun!" It was enough to faint Mankey.  
"That was quick," I thought.  
"The victory goes to the red trainer," the referee called. I had won.   
  
Chapter 42  
Water & Ice Fields  
  
"Let's celebrate!" I shouted in happiness when Izzy and I had gathered our friends up.  
"Good idea," Izzy smiled. "But first, we have to check our times for our next battles."  
"Don't worry, Squirtel," Joy said smiling. "Robin and I will go get reservations at a restaurant. We can all eat for free because you two are in the Pokemon League. Competitors eat for free!" I thought that was great. While Robin and Joy picked out a restaurant, Izzy and I walked to the Pokemon League main center.  
"Hello again," the attendant greeted. Her name was Penny. "I bet I know what you're here for. Meadow, your next battle is on the Water field. Izzy, yours is on the Ice field. Meadow will battle at 1:00 PM and Izzy will battle at 2:00 PM. Good luck!" We said good-bye and walked to the restaurant Joy told us to meet them. There, we pigged out and went to Izzy's house for the night. Before we went to sleep, we called Bill to exchange Pokemon.  
"I'm on the Water Field so I'll take Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Slowpoke, Exeggcute, Charmander, and Pikachu," I decided.  
"I'm on the Ice field so I'll use Beedrill, Lapras, Charmander, Geodude, Hitmonlee, and Omanyte," Izzy selected. We said good-bye to Bill and fell asleep thinking about tomorrow.  
  
"Go, Squirtel," Izzy shouted from the bleachers. I was facing off on the water field against a girl named Saline. Saline won the coin toss.  
"I chose Jolteon!" she sent out.  
"Go, Exeggcute!" I chose.  
"Jolteon, use Agility," she cried out. Jolteon ran around Exeggcute quickly, which made it harder for Exeggcute to attack.  
"Exeggcute, use Leach Seed," I ordered. It landed on Jolteon.  
"Jolteon, use Pin Missile," she demanded. It took a lot of damage on my Exeggcute.  
"Exeggcute, use Poison Powder!" I called out. Now Jolteon would lose HP twice as fast as it would with just Leach Seed sucking its power.  
"Jolteon, use Thundershock," Saline ordered. It didn't do that much damage, but I couldn't waste time with Exeggcute.  
"Exeggcute, use Solar Beam!" I shouted. Exeggcute took in sunlight and blasted a beam of sunlight onto Jolteon. Jolteon fainted.  
"What?" Saline said took back. If it weren't for Leach Seed and Poison Powder, Jolteon wouldn't have been so weak. "Fine. Go, Nidoking!" I swallowed hard. Nidoking was right up there with Gyarados as far as sheer power was concerned. "Nidoking, use Tackle!" Nidoking rammed Exeggcute to faint it.  
"I chose Slowpoke," I decided after recalling Exeggcute. "Slowpoke, use Confusion!" Psychic attacks are strong against Poison. I just had to hope that Slowpoke could hold on for about three strong attacks.  
"Nidoking, use Fury Attack!" Saline directed. Nidoking attacked Slowpoke three times.  
"Slowpoke, use Psychic attack," I commanded. One more was all I needed.  
"Nidoking, use Horn Drill," Saline called out. She must have been desperate for an instant knock out. It didn't work. Slowpoke used another Psychic attack for the win.  
"I chose Staryu!" she called. "Staryu, use Swift attack!" It fainted Slowpoke. This Staryu was obviously strong. But I knew who could beat it.  
"Go, Pikachu!" I decided. "Pikachu, use Thunder Bolt!" It was almost an instant knock out. Staryu was still pumping, though.  
"Staryu, use Light Screen," she shouted. Light Screen put a protective shield in front of Staryu, but there are ways around that.  
"Pikachu, Thunder!" I shouted. Thunder was the most powerful attack of all the electric attacks. Staryu didn't stand a chance.  
"Staryu is unable to battle," the referee decided. "The victory goes to the red trainer." The crowd went wild! I glanced at my watch. There was no time to celebrate. Izzy's match started in less than five minutes.  
  
Water & Ice Fields  
Part two  
  
I watched in anticipation as Izzy prepared his Pokeballs. He was up against a guy name Jerome. The coin was flipped and Izzy won.  
"I chose Seel," Jerome sent out.  
"I chose Beedrill," Izzy sent out. "Beedrill, use Rage!" Izzy called out. Beedrill fiercly attacked the Seel.  
"Seel, use Rest," Jerome directed. Seel fell asleep and restored its HP. Beedrill continued to use Rage. On the third turn, Seel woke up and used Take Down. It just made Beedrill madder, and his attack power went way up. Seel then used Ice Beam, which set Beedrill at half strength, but Beedrill was getting stronger. Two more attacks would faint Seel. Seel used another Ice Beam. Beedrill was getting tired, but it still fainted Seel.  
"Seel, return," Jerome recalled sadly. "Go Growlithe, use Ember!" It fainted Beedrill.  
"Beedrill return," Izzy recalled. "Go Omanyte! Use Spike Cannon!" It attacked Growlithe three times.  
"Growlithe, use Leer," Jerome demanded. Leer Decreases a Pokemon's Defense temporarily.  
"Omanyte, use Leer too," Izzy laughed. It was funny looking to see Growlithe and Omanyte staring each other down.  
"Growlithe, use Take Down," Jerome frowned. It took a lot out of Omanyte. Omanyte then used Spike Cannon. It hit five times. Growlithe tried a Take Down to faint Omanyte and itself.  
"I chose Lapras," Izzy decided.  
"I chose Electabuzz," Jerome said quickly. Lapras used Confuse Ray quickly to confuse Electabuzz.  
"Electabuzz, use Thundershock," Jerome ordered. It worked. Lapras shook her head and used Ice Beam. It froze Electabuzz solid so it was unable to battle. That made Izzy the winner. I shouted in happiness that Izzy would be continuing with me throughout the Pokemon League.  
Chapter 43  
Grass & Water Fields  
  
"Hello," a different attendant greeted us. "I suppose you want to know where your next battles will take place." We nodded.  
"Let's see here," the attendant mumbled while bringing up our file. "Meadow will play on the grass field at 3:00, and Izzy will play on the water field at 2:00.  
We thanked the man and went back to Izzy's house.  
"So, you're still in the League?" Bill observed when we called him. "That's great. What Pokemon do you want?"  
"I want Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Nidoran, Pesky, and Butterfree," I selected.  
"I want Beedrill, Lapras, Pikachu, Palmpal, Charmander, and Paras," Izzy said quickly. We got our Pokemon and went to bed. The next day, we killed a few hours with a little training, and then got ready to leave for Izzy's battle on the water field.  
Izzy was going to battle a girl named Chelsea. She won the coin toss.  
"I chose Lapras," Izzy decided.  
"I chose Meowth," Chelsea sent out. "Meowth, use Screech!" A horrible sounding screech caused Lapras's defense to decrease.  
"Lapras, use Confuse Ray!" Izzy shouted. It caused Meowth to stop screeching and become confused.  
"Meowth, use Fury Swipes," Chelsea directed. Meowth scratched Lapras three times. Lapras used Sing, but it didn't work. Meowth tried to attack Lapras, but attacked itself instead.  
"Lapras, use Mist," Izzy directed. Mist makes attacks that decrease a Pokemon's defense useless. Like that Screech attack.  
"Meowth, use Pay Day," Chelsea persuaded. Coins fell from the charm on Meowth's head to hit Lapras.  
"Lapras, use Hydro Pump," Izzy commanded. It almost knocked out Meowth. If Meowth's next attack hurt itself, then it would faint.  
"Meowth, try Screech," Chelsea bid. She must have forgotten about the Mist attack, because Screech did nothing.  
"Lapras, use Body Slam," Izzy said smiling. It fainted Meowth, and Lapras still had plenty of energy left. Chelsea sent out Kabutops to use Hydro Pump. It didn't have much of an effect. Lapras used Mist again, just in case. Kabutops used Slash, and made Lapras's HP go down to a third left.  
"Lapras, use Confuse Ray," Izzy decided, hoping to buy some time.  
"Kabutops, use Leer!" Chelsea shouted. She didn't understand about Mist. The attack did nothing. Instead, Lapras used Body Slam. Kabutops shook it's head from the blow and tried to attack but hurt itself.  
"Lapras, use Sing," Izzy encouraged, although the attack failed.  
It fainted Lapras. This time Izzy frowned as he returned Lapras and sent out Palmpal.  
"Palmpal, use Acid," Izzy commanded. It fainted Kabutops. Chelsea then sent out Shellder to use Leer. It didn't do any damage. "Okay Palmpal, use Solar Beam!" As Palmpal gathered sunlight, Shellder tried to tackle him, but Palmpal dodged it. After enough sunlight had been gathered, Palmpal blasted a ray of sun at Shellder for an instant faint. Izzy won this field. One more to go!  
  
Water and Grass fields  
Part two  
  
We had half an hour to kill, so Robin, Joy, Izzy, and I decided to treat ourselves to a little ice cream. I was sitting and enjoying my frozen treat, when I saw something that almost made me choke. I saw Gary walking around.  
"Izzy," I whispered. "It's Gary." Izzy put down his ice cream and looked around. When he found him, Izzy turned bright red with anger.  
"I'm going to finish what I started," he growled, getting up to leave. I tugged at his arm.  
"No! Wait!" I frowned. "Wait, and we can hit him where he really hurts!"  
"Yeah, his gut," Izzy grumbled.  
"No," I said shaking my head. "I mean in a Pokemon match. That's why he kidnapped me in the first place. He didn't want to lose at the Pokemon League. Well, now he can." Izzy battled the thought in his head. Then, he sat down and continued his ice cream.  
When I got to the grass field to see whom I was battling, I was in for a big surprise. I was battling Gary. I won the coin toss at least.  
"Go Victreebel," Gary sent out. I was determined to win this match.   
When I picked up Charmander's Pokeball, I whispered to it, "Give it everything you've got. I'm really counting on you."  
I sent out Charmander, who looked extra charged, and ordered him to use Flamethrower. It did the trick, regardless of Victreebel's high HP count. Charmander had gotten so strong from the extra four years I had trained him and all the walking around, that he was stronger than most of my Pokemon. Victreebel didn't stand a chance.  
"I can't believe she beat me that fast," Gary whispered to himself. "Go Machamp! Use Focus Energy!" I knew that Machamp was getting pumped up, so I had Charmander use stronger attacks.  
"Charmander, use Slash!" I called out. It took out a third of Machamp's HP.  
"Machamp, use Seismic Toss!" Gary shouted. Machamp picked Charmander up and smashed him into the ground. Charmander got back up, but it was hurt and badly shaken up.  
"Charmander," I gasped. "Try to use another Slash!" Charmander summoned up his strength and scratch Machamp, making Machamp's HP go down past the half point mark.  
"Machamp, Low Kick," Gary smirked. It fainted Charmander, but I had a plan in my mind that would win.  
"Return Charmander," I recalled. I then thanked Charmander, now in his Pokeball. "Go Pesky!" Gary's look went from triumphant to horror.  
"Pesky, Drill Peck!" I smiled. Flying types have an advantage over fighting types, so Machamp fainted.  
"Return Machamp," Gary frowned. He picked up a Pokeball and kissed it. "Go Nidoking!" I thought all he had was Nidorino! He must have evolved it with a Moon Stone. "Nidoking, use Poison Sting." He said those words in as nasty a way as he could. Nidoking was so strong, it fainted Pesky. Now, I was going to get my revenge.  
"Go Squirtle!" I shouted as loud as I could.  
"That puny thing?!" Gary shouted laughing.  
"Squirtle, give it your all and use Skull Bash!" I directed. Nidoking seemed as unimpressed as Gary did, but when Squirtle slammed into its stomach, Nidoking flinched in pain. "Now, use Water Gun!" Nidoking had just gotten over the blow, when Squirtle nearly drowned it with water. Nidoking had to fight to avoid being squirted.  
"Nidoking, use Poison Sting," Gary said fuming. Squirtle dodged it quickly. As a finally, Squirtle used Hydro Pump to faint Nidoking, and to win. Gary about fell over with surprise as I cheered and hugged Squirtle. Gary recalled Nidoking and ran out of the stadium. Izzy rushed down from the seats, almost tripping, and hugged me. Then, he picked up Squirtle and hugged him.  
"That was the best revenge I've ever seen," Izzy smiled. "You were right. I enjoyed that much more than I would have had pounding him." I had plenty to be happy about.  
I picked up Squirtle again and asked, "You deserve a reward. What do you want?" Squirtle grabbed my hand and led me all the way to the Indigo Pokemon League Hall of Fame.  
"Squirt squirt squirt," Squirtle said pointing. (I want that.) He was pointing to the winner's trophy. I smiled in pride of my Pokemon's choice.  
"And you'll get it," I said quietly. "Very soon, Squirtle. We will make our names be recognized in this room."   
  
Chapter 44  
Grass and Rock Fields  
  
"I'm proud of you both," Bill smiled after we called him. "Remember, if you make it past this last field you get to go on a three on three battle with any element."  
"Well, right now I'm on the Rock Field," I reported. "I'll be battling at 3:30 tomorrow, and Izzy will battle on the Grass field at 4:00. So I'll take Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Rhyhorn, Pikachu, Charmander, and Krabby."  
"I'll take Beedrill, Charmander, Grimer, Palmpal, Growlithe, and Lapras," Izzy chose. When we got up the next morning, we met with Joy, Robin, Ash, Misty, and Brock.  
"How have you been doing?" I asked Ash while Izzy and Brock chatted.  
"It's been tough, but I've been doing pretty good," Ash smiled. Ash looked at the clock. "I better leave, my match is going to start soon." Mine would begin soon too.  
"Come on Izzy," I motioned. "We better go." Izzy, Robin, and Joy nodded as they finished off the hot dogs we were eating.  
"Hey Squirtel," Robin said. "Here. It's a good luck charm." Robin handed me a Pokeball.  
"What's in it?" I asked.  
"My first and strongest Pokemon," Robin laughed. "I know the rules say you can only battle with your own Pokemon, but this Alakazam has brought me lots of luck." I smiled gingerly at his offer.  
"Thanks," I replied smiling.  
"Just remember to give it back after your match," he teased. I glanced at my watch. I had better get moving.  
The rock field was packed with people. I was going to try and beat a girl named Hannah. She won the coin toss. I'm really bad at coin tosses.  
"Go Krabby!" I sent out.  
"Go Dugtrio," Hannah decided. "Dugtrio, use Slash!" Krabby got a good slash on one of his pinchers.  
"Krabby, use Stomp!" I shouted. Krabby was more damaged than Dugtrio was.  
"Dugtrio, use Scratch!" Hannah demanded. I was getting worried about Krabby.  
"Krabby, use Crab Hammer," I ordered. Crab Hammer worked well against Dugtrio. Dugtrio used another Slash to faint Krabby.  
"Krabby return," I recalled. "Go Bulbasaur! Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf." The Razor Leaf was powerful enough to faint Dugtrio. Hannah recalled her Dugtrio.  
"I chose Ninetales!" she sent out. "Ninetales, use Flamethrower!" It almost fainted Bulbasaur.  
"Bulbasaur, use Leach Seed," I persuaded. It was my last resort and it worked.  
"Ninetales, use Confuse Ray!" Hannah shouted. Now Bulbasaur was in trouble. I held my breath and hoped my plan would follow through.  
"Bulbasaur try to use Poison Powder," I pleaded. Bulbasaur hurt itself instead. I had to recall Bulbasaur and think about my choice, and remembering the charm Robin had given me, picked up Alakazam's Pokeball.  
"Give me some luck," I whispered to it. I looked down at Squirtle, who was in a fighting position, and nodded.  
"Squirtle, use Hydro Pump," I shouted. It was a quick faint for Ninetales. Hannah reached into her pocket for the next Pokemon she would use.  
"Go Alakazam!" she sent out. I gaped in awe at her choice. I checked my hand to make sure that Robin's Alakazam was still there.  
"Oh, man," I thought. "Better go with an all offensive plan."  
"Squirtle, use another Hydro Pump," I shouted. "And then again." Hydro Pump chopped off a third of Alakazam's HP. Alakazam used Psybeam to take my Squirtle down a third.  
"The power between the two of them are the same," I thought while Squirtle used Hydro Pump again.  
"Alakazam, use Psychic," she decided. Squirtle had to do something quick.  
"It's do or die!" I shouted. "Squirtle, use Skull Bash!" I hoped Alakazam wasn't fast enough. Lucky me, it wasn't. Squirtle's Skull Bash was just what I needed to win!  
  
Grass & Rock Fields  
Part Two  
  
I handed back Alakazam's Pokeball back to Robin.  
"I told you it was lucky," He smiled. We were walking briskly to the grass field, because my battle took up the half hour between my battles and Izzy's. We arrived just to see Izzy getting in the trainer's box that borders one side of the field.  
"That Izzy kid is really good," I heard a man behind me comment.  
"I'm not sure," another said. "I like that Ash kid."  
"He's no match for Meadow!" a third person put in. I had to smile. I wasn't used to all this attention and praise.  
"Heads," I heard Izzy shout out at the coin toss. It landed on tails. That means his opponent, a man by the name of Carlos, would go first.  
"I choose Growlithe!" Izzy sent out.  
"I choose you," Carlos said throwing out his Pokeball. "Go, Ponyta! Use your Growl!"  
"Growlithe, use Leer," Izzy directed. It was weird to see one Pokemon staring, and one Pokemon growling.  
"Ponyta, use Stomp!" Carlos shouted. Growlithe took the hit, and then used Take Down. Ponyta may be fast and a good attacker, but its HP isn't as strong as Growlithe's. "Ponyta, use Growl again." Growlithe used another Take Down to faint Ponyta, and bring his HP level down to halfway.  
"Ponyta, return," Carlos recalled. "Go Scyther! Use Double Team!" Scyther's Double Team made itself look like there was ten, rather than one.  
"Growlithe, use Bite!" Izzy shouted. Growlithe leaped at one of the Scyther to find out it was a fake. It tried again and found the real one.  
"Scyther use Swords Dance," Carlos demanded. Swords Dance increased Scyther's attack power greatly. "Now use Slash!" Scyther flew down on Growlithe and used Slash for the win.  
"Growlithe return!" Izzy said agitated. "Go Charmander! Use Ember!" Charmander spun around so quickly that flickers of flame flew off his tail and hit Scyther, no matter how many times it tried to escape. Scyther was beginning to get tired. It still tried to attack. This time, Scyther used Leer. Charmander just Slashed it for the win. Carlos was down to one more Pokemon.  
"Go Clefable!" he sent out. "Clefable, use Metronome!" Clefable waved its fingers back and forth for a while and then stopped. Then it lowered its head and rammed Charmander, which meant it used Skull Bash.  
"Charmander, use Flamethrower!" Izzy encouraged. It didn't faint Clefable, but it did take a good hunk of energy away. Clefable used Metronome again to use Pay Day. Not the strongest attack, but at least it did damage. Charmander used Flamethrower again, moments before Clefable attacked with a Metronome produced Earthquake attack for the faint. Izzy recalled Charmander and sent out Beedrill.  
"Beedrill use Twin Needle!" Izzy directed. One more of that attack and Clefable would faint. Clefable tried another Metronome and used Double Team to increase its evasiveness. Beedrill had to concentrate hard on the next Twin Needle. It was a direct hit for the win!  
  
Chapter 45  
Anything goes  
  
"Way to go!" Joy shouted happily when we met outside the grass stadium.  
"I knew you two could get this far," Robin said cheerfully. "You know what that means? Your next battle will allow you to use whatever Pokemon type you want to." I liked that idea. That meant I could use my strongest Pokemon.  
"Let's all go to the recreation center," Joy suggested. "It's right next the main Pokemon League building, and they have games and all sorts of things to do."  
"All right," Izzy agreed. "Right after we find out who we battle next." We walked into the Pokemon Leauge main office where a man gave us a few instructions.  
"Just dip this fishing pole into the water," he instructed. "We'll match your number with someone else's." I yanked out a Magikarp that had the letter and number T-2. Izzy got the Magikarp that said D-1. I was matched up with a man named Kevin, and Izzy was to go against a girl by the name of Trilla. We walked back to the Recreation Center, where we spent the rest of the day relaxing and having fun. After hard day of relaxing, we went back to Izzy's house to goof off some more. First, we called Bill up.  
"You two have impressed me greatly," he congratulated. "I'm proud that you've gotten this far. It's a great achievement. I bet you called me to change Pokemon, right?"  
"You'd win that bet," Izzy chuckled. "We both get to use different elements of Pokemon, so Squirtel and I both agreed to use various types." I nodded.  
"Good choice," praised Bill.  
"I want Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Pikachu, Snorlax, and Butterfree," I rattled off.  
"I want Beedrill, Charmander, Palmpal, Psyduck, Kangaskhan, and Fearow," Izzy chose. Bill nodded in agreement of our choices. We got our Pokemon, took them outside, and let them all out of their Pokeballs. At first, they just walked around and chatted, but eventually they all settled down and listened to our speech of how proud we were off them, and that we didn't care if they won or not just as long as they tried. Blah, blah, blah. It was the same speech we've heard before. It was time that the Pokemon hear it, despite how boring it was. Only, Izzy ended it on a more interesting quote.  
"So just go out there and kick some tail!" he shouted. Most of the Pokemon giggled at that. We sent them back to their Pokeballs for the night, and settled into bed with our thoughts on tomorrow.  
Izzy and I walked towards the Indigo Stadium, the biggest stadium that bordered all the element fields. When we got there, there were only six other trainers.  
"That doesn't seem right," I thought. I looked at Izzy. He seemed to be thinking the same thing. Regardless of our thoughts, we walked to the center of the field where the owner of the stadium of the stadium gave a speech.  
"You eight trainers have made it farther than any other trainers have," he started. "That makes you very unique and special. Here is the general layout of the rest of the League. After this battle, there will only be four trainers left, and two left after that. The two losers of the next battle will challenge each other for third place. The winner of the last battle will be in first place, and the loser of that battle will come in second. You all know the rules for battles, so let the games begin!" The crowd cheered as the first two kids started their battle. I didn't pay attention. I kept thinking about my battle, which was a bad idea because I started getting tense and accidentally squeezed Squirtle too hard. It wasn't that long before their match was over, and it was Izzy's turn. He and the girl named Trilla walked to the middle of the field for the coin toss.  
"Heads," Izzy called out. He always said heads, and that was what it was.  
"I choose you, Grimer!" Trilla sent out. Izzy thought a moment before sending out Psyduck to use Confusion for a major hit.  
"Grimer, use Sludge!" Trilla demanded. The Sludge attack poisoned Psyduck. I remembered that Robin had a Psyduck and looked up at him to see he was on the edge of his seat. I smiled in remembrance of his love for Psychic type Pokemon.  
"Psyduck, use Fury Swipes," Izzy ordered. Psyduck hit Grimer two times. Grimer attacked with another Sludge. Psyduck was already getting weak so Izzy ordered a Hydro Pump for a near faint. If Psyduck could hold on a little more, he would win with a Scratch attack.  
"Grimer, use Acid Armour!" Trilla shouted. I hoped that Psyduck had enough strength left.  
"Psyduck, use one more Hydro Pump!" Izzy encouraged. Psyduck, who was sitting on the ground with fatigue, slowly stood up and attack Grimer with his strongest attack for a faint.  
"Grimer return," Trilla recalled angrily. "I choose Golbat! Golbat, use Bite!" It was a quick faint for Psyduck. Izzy recalled Psyduck and sent out Pikachu.  
"Pikachu," Izzy said calmly. "Use Thunder Bolt." Pikachu's Thunder Bolt almost fainted Golbat, but not quite. Trilla's Pokemon were very strong.  
"Golbat, use Wing Attack," she directed. Pikachu took a beating from Golbat and then shocked it without even having to be told so. It fainted Golbat. Things were looking good for Izzy as Trilla recalled Golbat.  
"I choose Snorlax!" she sent out. I thought back on Izzy's panic when we encountered the Snorlax I had with me today. Beedrill had used his Poison Sting and it had almost no effect. "Snorlax, use Body Slam." Snorlax's Body Slam had a devastating effect on Pikachu, but the spirited Pokemon did not give up.  
"Pikachu, use Thunder," Izzy persuaded. Pikachu took a running start and then leaped into the air above Snorlax and shocked it with everything she had. Snorlax flinched slightly, but I could tell that it still had two thirds of its HP left. Pikachu was getting worn out and it wouldn't take much to knock her out.  
"Snorlax, use Headbutt," Trilla cheered. Like I had predicted, it fainted Pikachu. Izzy returned Pikachu and stared at Snorlax for a moment.  
"Don't choke," I screamed in my head. The entire stadium had gone quiet in anticipation.  
I gathered up my courage and shouted at the top of my lungs, "You can do it Izzy!!" My reassuring words echoed throughout the stadium as the crowd's murmers swelled into a chant of, "Go Izzy!" Izzy looked up, and gave me a huge grin and winked as he sent out Beedrill.  
"Beedrill used Agility," Izzy ordered. Beedrill, who was extra pumped up, flew so quickly around Snorlax that he was nothing but a mere blur.  
"Snorlax, use Body Slam," Trilla said nervously. Snorlax jump at the buzzing circle and landed on the ground.  
"Beedrill, Twin Needle!" Izzy yelled. Beedrill stuck his stingers into Snorlax's back, taking away another third of Snorlax's HP.  
"Snorlax, use Headbutt," Trilla said agitated. Beedrill flew backwards from the blow.  
"Beedrill, use Hyper Beam," Izzy directed. A yellow ball appeared in front of Beedrill and shot a beam of energy at Snorlax for a faint. Izzy's stood and stared in awe, not able to believe his luck. I cheered loudly and hoped that I, too, could make it into the top four.  



	11. Part two of chapter 45 - End

Anything Goes  
Part Two  
"Izzy Romn is the winner," the referee declared. Stunned, Izzy slowly walked back towards me.  
I stared at me for a second, and then said blankly, "I did it." I shifted uneasily in my seat while Izzy sat down. Then I heard the referee call the next match.  
"The next match will be Kevin Heron versus Meadow Springs," the referee stated. I turned red. I had never told Izzy my last name because it was embarrassing. I think my parents purposely named me Meadow because it went with my last name. I pushed the embarrassing feelings out of my head as I numbly walked to the trainers box on the end of the field.  
"Call the coin," the referee instructed.  
"Tails," I called. It landed heads. Figures, because that was my luck.  
"I'll start with Snorlax," I sent out.  
"Go Mr. Mime," Kevin sent out. "Use Double Slap!" Mr. Mime slapped Snorlax's thick hide. I knew that at least a few hit points were lost, but it appeared like none were.  
"Snorlax, use Double Edge," I called out. Even though Double Edge attack causes your own Pokemon to lose a few hit points, I knew Snorlax had plenty to spare. Mr. Mime fell backwards from the hit. Then, it used Light Screen. I decided that as long as Snorlax was at full health, I could have a little bit of fun with the Metronome attack.  
"Snorlax, use Metronome," I said smiling. Snorlax's Metronome attack caused him to use Earthquake. The ground shook from the attack, and Mr. Mime's Light Screen shattered. Kevin gasped slightly and then ordered that Mr. Mime use Confusion. This attack did considerably more damage because it wasn't a physical blow. Snorlax shook his head and used Metronome again for the Psywave attack, which didn't do much damage.  
"Mr. Mime, use Light Screen again," Kevin ordered, shakily. Snorlax used Metronome for the Counter attack, for a faint. Kevin stared at his Mr. Mime in disbelief. Then, after shaking his head, recalled Mr. Mime and sent out Venomoth to use Psychic attack. Now Snorlax was beginning to weaken.  
"Try one last Metronome," I ordered. This time Snorlax used Dig. It was semi-effective, but not like I had hoped.  
"Venomoth, use another Psychic attack," Kevin called out confidently. I knew that it would faint Snorlax, and my prediction came true. I recalled Snorlax and thought for a moment on who I would use next.  
"Charmander would be good," I observed. I felt Squirtle yanking on my shirt. I looked down and shook my head. Squirtle just gave me a sad look and waited patiently for me to send out Charmander.  
"Charmander, use Flamethrower," I commanded. It worked well and Venomoth was already down to less than half of its HP.  
"Venomoth, use Sleep Powder," Kevin demanded. Venomoth flapped powder off of its wings and Charmander got drowsy. I knew this was my time to act. I grabbed my Pokeflute that was next to me and played a quick tune to wake Charmander up. Kevin scowled for a moment before ordering Venomoth to use Leech Life. Some of Charmander's energy was absorbed, but it wouldn't do any good for Venomoth. One more Flamethrower from my powerful Charmander fainted Venomoth. I glanced at Kevin to see his panicky expression.  
"Venomoth, return," he recalled. "Go Charmeleon! Use Slash!" I remembered reading in a book about Charmeleon. It was the evolved form of Charmander. Charmeleon was strong against Ice types and weakened by Water. I pushed the thought out of my head for the moment and concentrated on Charmander, who was nearly knocked out from the blow.  
"Charmander, use your Skull Bash," I encouraged. Charmander slammed into Charmeleon, head first, and took away a third of Charmeleon's HP. Charmeleon spun around and slapped my Charmander with it's powerful tail. Charmander was fainted, but I knew what to do.  
"Go Squirtle," I said smiling. "Let's win this with Water Gun." Charmeleon tried to avoid the blast of water, but failed. Despite the critical hit, Charmeleon still was standing.  
"Charmeleon, use another Slash," Kevin said quickly. Squirtle flew backwards and took a moment in getting up. His left arm was hurt badly. I hoped that Squirtle could still battle. A look of fire entered his eyes and he stood up in battle position and shot Charmeleon once more with a forceful spray. Although it was clear to see that Charmeleon had fainted, we had to wait a second for the referee to make the call.  
"Charmeleon is unable to battle, the winner is Meadow Springs!" he shouted. A roar came from the crowd, and I enjoyed it immensely. Squirtle collapsed as soon as the referee made the call. I rushed out of the trainer's box and scooped Squirtle into my arms.  
"Squirtle, are you all right?" I asked concerned. Squirtle opened his eyes and smiled.  
"Squirtle squirtle squirt?" he said quietly. (How's that for winning?) I smiled and walked off the field.  
"Just fine," I said softly. "Just fine."  
  
Chapter 46  
Down to Four  
  
Izzy and I exchanged unspoken happiness while we were walking down to the Pokemon Center to heal our Pokemon. Robin and Nurse Joy, on the other hand, couldn't seem to stop talking.  
"I'll love a good Pokemon battle," Robin chatted. "I was worried when that girl brought out Mr. Mime, though."  
"He would," I whispered under my breath to Izzy. He just smiled and nodded back. While we were waiting for our Pokemon, and for Joy to stop yakking to her sister, we discussed tomorrow.  
"We get to use all six Pokemon," Izzy speculated. "That's going to be tough, even if we only battle twice." Joy's sister brought out our Pokemon and wished us good luck. I was heading out the door when Joy's sister, who was also a Nurse Joy if the reader hasn't figured it out, stopped me.  
"Squirtel, wait," she called. "There's a call for you in the Pokemon Center!" I looked at Izzy and shrugged. I was greatly surprised to see who it was.  
"Mom!?" I shouted at the videophone. I hadn't seen my mom on the phone since last Christmas.  
"My big girl is winning the Indigo Pokemon League," she said terry eyed. "We've been watching you here in America." I was too stunned to talk.  
"That's your mom?" Izzy asked. Mom moved her head to see Izzy.  
"Meadow, who's that?" she asked. I came back to reality.  
"Oh, this is Izzy," I introduced. "He's my boyfriend." My mom went nuts.  
"Oh, did you hear that honey?!" she shouted to my dad. "Meadow's going to compete with her little boyfriend!" I wanted to hang up. Why did Mom always have a way of embarrassing me? I looked back at Izzy, who was bright red.  
"Mom, I gotta go," I said quickly.  
"Okay," she said happily. "We'll keep be watching you on TV." I hung up and ran out the door, with all my friends behind me giggling.  
  
The next day....  
  
"It's a beautiful day at Indigo Stadium today folks!" an announcer blared. "The weather is right to see who will go on to battle for the first and second place, and who will be battling for third. On the field are the first two trainers, Meadow Springs and Gabby Field. The coin flip will be in a few minutes."  
"Tails," I called.  
"Tails it is," the referee called. I can't believe I actually won a coin toss.  
"I choose Kadabra," Gabby sent out.  
"Hmm...." I thought. "I better not risk too much."  
"Go Snorlax," I sent out. "Use Metronome!" Snorlax's Metronome attack was one of my favorites. This time, Snorlax used Bubblebeam. It wasn't the strongest attack, but at least it slowed Kadabra down and did damage.  
"Kadabra, use Disable!" Gabby shouted. Kadabra disabled Snorlax's Rest attack. I shrugged and used Metronome for the Egg Bomb attack. Five eggs appeared and blasted Kadabra. Slowly, but surely, Kadabra was losing strength. "Kadabra, use Reflect!" Kadabra created a barrier. I knew Snorlax was strong enough to break it, so I ordered a Body Slam and it worked. Kadabra was nearly fainted, so Gabby tried one last attempt.  
"Kadabra, use Confusion!" Snorlax, for the first time in this battle, lost some HP, but a Body Slam finished off Kadabra. Gabby recalled Kadabra and sent out Hitmonchan to use Counter attack. I cringed as I watched Snorlax take the beating. Normal was weak to fighting types. It would only take one more of those for a faint.  
"Snorlax, use Metronome," I said in a last resort. It caused Snorlax to use Rage attack, which did little good. Hitmonchan gave Snorlax another good smack before he could attack for a faint. "Snorlax, return." I thought a moment on what would work well against a fighting type. "Go Butterfree! Use Psybeam attack!" I could always rely on Butterfree for a good psychic attack. It was so strong that Butterfree fainted Hitmonchan in one hit.  
"Hitmonchan return," Gabby said irritably. "Go Jolteon! Use Tail Whip." Tail Whip was a pathetic attack in my mind. I didn't mind that Butterfree's defense rating went down a little.  
"Butterfree, use Supersonic!" I called out in hope that Butterfree would confuse Jolteon into hurting itself. It worked, and on the next attack Jolteon kicked itself for some damage. "Now Butterfree, use Confusion attack!" Jolteon's HP would be depleted soon. I knew that it would only take two or three more attacks if everything went perfectly. Jolteon tried to attack again, but hurt itself once more. Things were looking good for me. I ordered another Confusion attack. If Jolteon hurt itself again, it would probably faint.  
"Jolteon, try the Double Kick attack," Gabby urged. Jolteon kicked itself in the face from confusion and then fainted. Rather angry now, Gabby recalled Jolteon and sent out Gyarados to use Dragon Rage. It took out a lot of Butterfree's energy.  
"Butterfree, try using Poison Powder," I directed. Gyarados was poison, but it used Hydro Pump to faint Butterfree. I recalled Butterfree and sent out Pikachu.  
"Pikachu, use Thunder Bolt," I ordered. It worked well, but Gyarados still had a little bit of HP left. It tried to use Bite, but Pikachu jumped out of the way. Gyarados fainted from the poison.  
"No," gasped Gabby. "Gyarados return! Go Weepinbell! Use Sleep Powder." At the first signs of drowsiness, I played a tune on my Pokeflute to wake Pikachu up. Gabby scowled and commanded Weepinbell to use Wrap. Pikachu was unable to move for a while, but eventually got free and used Thunder Wave. Weepinbell was paralyzed so it was much slower. "Weepinbell, try using Stun Spore." Weepinbell was unable to move quickly enough.  
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack," I requested. Weepinbell got a little dizzy, but didn't faint. Instead, it tried to use Slam. Now, Pikachu was at the halfway point of fainting. She got up from the attack and used Swift. Weepinbell and Pikachu were at equal standing points with their HP.  
"Weepinbell, use another Wrap!" Gabby demanded. It worked, but Pikachu wasn't licked yet.  
"Use Swift again," I cheered Pikachu on. Weepinbell fainted after the attack and Gabby glared at me in hate.  
"Weepinbell return," she said loudly. "Go Marowak! Use Bone Club!" Pikachu was so exhausted, she fainted. I proudly recalled Pikachu while sending out Bulbasaur.  
"Bulbasaur, use Solar Beam for a grand finale," I said smiling. Grass types have an advantage over Ground. Bulbasaur gathered sunrays and blasted Marowak for an instant knock out and the win of the match. The crowd burst out in cheers. I hadn't realized how much I was liked in the Indigo Stadium. I picked Bulbasaur up and thanked him over and over as I stood in the center of attention.  
  
Down to Four  
Part two  
  
Izzy walked up to me after my battle. His hands were shaking badly. I held one of his hands in my own.  
"Don't be so nervous," I said calmly. "You've gotten this far. I bet your opponent will be a push over!" He smiled loosely and nodded as he walked out onto the field. The coin toss started and Izzy had won. His opponent was a boy named Riley.  
"Go Poliwrath!" he sent out.  
"Go Palmpal!" Izzy shouted. "Use Sleep Powder!" The bluish haze that struck Poliwrath worked. That would buy Izzy a little bit of time.  
"Poliwrath, wake up!" Riley shouted. No luck. Izzy had Palmpal use Acid attack. It worked fairly well. Poliwrath opened its eyes a crack as it tried to wake up. Izzy had time for one more attack.  
"Palmpal, use Solar Beam!" Izzy bellowed. Palmpal gathered in sunlight as Poliwrath woke up.  
"Poliwrath, use Body Slam," Riley ordered. He seemed so sure of himself, but I knew what Izzy had in mind.   
When Poliwrath was getting close to ramming Palmpal, Izzy said quickly, "Shoot now, Palmpal!" Palmpal let all the solar energy blast Poliwrath when it was only a few inches away for a guaranteed faint. Riley looked a bit shocked and then recalled Poliwrath.  
"Go Tangela," Riley chose. "Use Poison Powder!" Tangela spread it's poisonous dust onto Palmpal, but Palmpal just shook it off. Poison had no effect.  
"Palmpal, use Sleep Powder," Izzy said, planning to use the same strategy. It didn't work this time.  
"Good job Tangela, use Stun Spore," Riley cheered. This time the dust that Tangela shook on Palmpal was yellow. This had worked and Palmpal was now paralyzed.  
"Palmpal try to use Acid," Izzy said hopefully. The attack worked and it took major damage away.  
"Tangela, use Constrict," Riley directed. Tangela's vines grasped Palmpal in a tight grip and applied damage twice. Palmpal broke free and tried to use Acid again, but missed. The paralysis was slowing Palmpal down.  
"Tangela, use Slam!" Riley demanded. Palmpal took a major hit. It would take two more Acid attacks to faint Tangela, and Izzy wasn't sure that Palmpal could last that long. It was worth a shot.  
"Palmpal, keep using Acid," Izzy said through clenched teeth. The next attempt failed also.  
"Then you keep using Slam, Tangela," Riley challenged back. Palmpal took another hit. It wouldn't be long before Palmpal fainted. Palmpal made a last attempt to attack with Acid and failed again. Tangela took a stride back and bashed Palmpal for a faint. Sadly, Izzy recalled Palmpal.  
"You did you best," he whispered to the Pokeball. "Go Charmander! Use Flamethrower." Flamethrower made short work of Tangela.  
"Tangela, return," Riley recalled. "Go Vaporeon! Use Haze!" Haze canceled side effects on both Pokemon.  
"Charmander, use Skull Bash," Izzy said decidedly. Vaporeon flew backwards and then used Acid Armor, which increased Vaporeon's defense. "Charmander, use Leer and decrease Vaporeon's defense." Riley had about enough of these weak attacks.  
"Vaporeon, Water Gun!" Riley shouted out. Being weak to fire, Charmander fainted. Izzy frowned and recalled Charmander.  
"Go Psyduck!" Izzy chose. "Use your Disable attack!" Psyduck disabled Vaporeon's Acid Armor attack. Riley didn't seem too disturbed.  
"Vaporeon, use Bite," Riley said carelessly.  
"He's too sure of himself," I thought. "If Izzy's lucky, Riley will be so sure of himself he'll make a mistake."  
"Psyduck, use Fury Swipes!" Ordered Izzy. Psyduck only landed one hit, but it was a good one. Vaporeon was getting exhausted and if Psyduck could hold on long enough, then Izzy would win the round. Vaporeon shook it's head and prepared to attack. Riley had Vaporeon use Quick Attack. Psyduck was at the halfway point of his health.  
"Hold on Psyduck," I kept thinking to myself.  
"Psyduck, use Confusion," Izzy directed. It was what Psyduck needed to win the round.  
Disgusted, Riley recalled Vaporeon. He picked up a Pokeball and shouted, "I choose you, Nidorina! Use Poison Sting." I shivered to myself thinking about the poisonous spines on Nidorina. They weren't as big as Nidorino's, but they were still powerful. Psyduck wasn't poisoned, but it would take much for a faint.  
Desperate, Izzy decided to have Psyduck use one last attack.  
"Psyduck, use Confusion." Nidorina recoiled in pain from the attack. Psyduck had used a Confusion attack so strong, it took almost half of Nidorina's HP away.  
"Nidorina, use Tackle," Riley demanded. Psyduck fainted, but he had gone out with a strong attack.  
"Good job Psyduck," Izzy recalled. "Go, Kangaskhan! Use your Bite attack." Kangaskhan didn't faint Nidorina, but all he had to do was flick a nail at this point. If Riley were smart, he'd try to poison Kangaskhan before Nidorina fainted. He was smart, but not lucky enough to succeed. The Poison Sting attack only did minimal damage, and Nidorina faint when Kangaskhan kicked it.  
"Nidorina return," Riley scowled. It was down to two to two now. "Go Powerkhan!" Riley had chosen a nicknamed Kangaskhan of his own. This was going to be an interesting round. It was Kangaskhan versus Kangaskhan. "Powerkhan, use Mega Punch!" Izzy's Kangaskhan took a direct hit and stumbled backwards.  
"Kangaskhan, don't let Powerkhan push you around," Izzy encouraged. "Use your Mega Punch!" This time it was Powerkhan that took a shot to the mouth. Powerkhan fell backwards, but got up and used Tail Whip.  
"What a useless attack," Izzy said to himself. "Kangaskhan, use another Mega Punch." Powerkhan took the hit in surprise.  
"Powerkhan, use Rage," Riley said angrily. Powerkhan's eyes glowed an angry red as it slammed into Kangaskhan.  
"Kangaskhan, use your Dizzy Punch!" Izzy yelled. Powerkhan did get dizzy, but only for a moment. Powerkhan's Rage attack was still in motion. Kangaskhan took yet another vengeful hit from Powerkhan.  
"I better act fast," Izzy thought. I always thought that Izzy's idea of winning a battle was to get as many attacks in as fast as possible.  
"Okay, Kangaskhan," Izzy coached. "Two more Mega Punches is all we need." Kangaskhan nodded in agreement. After giving Powerkhan a good hit, Powerkhan charged full speed at Kangaskhan. This was where things got interesting. Kangaskhan spun around, avoiding Powerkhan's attack, and used Mega Punch a final time to put Powerkhan down completely. It was a heated match, and Kangaskhan had won.  
"That's it!" Riley fumed. He stubbornly recalled Kangaskhan, reached for his last Pokeball, squeezed it firmly, and sent out his last Pokemon. "Go Ninetales! Use Fire Blast!" Izzy watched Kangaskhan faint instantly. After recalling Kangaskhan, Izzy picked up Fearow's Pokeball, and sent out Fearow.  
"Fearow, use Fly!" Izzy said calmly. I didn't know what to expect. There was no disadvantage and there was no advantage for either. This match would be based on shear power and speed. Fearow's Fly attack landed right on target. Ninetales winced a little as it took the hit.  
"Okay, Ninetales," Riley cheered. "Now, use Quick Attack!" Ninetales ran around in circles around Fearow so fast, it was making Fearow dizzy. Then, Ninetales leaped forward knocking into Fearow for a hit.  
"Fearow, shake it off and use Fury Attack," Izzy ordered. Fearow dived down and quickly flew back down five times, but hit Ninetales only three times. Ninetales then used Flamethrower to deal a lot of damage. Fearow wouldn't last much longer. In a final attempt, Fearow used Fury Attack again, but didn't hit Ninetales once.  
"Ninetales, finish it off," Riley demanded. Ninetales used Quick Attack once more for the faint. Silently, Izzy recalled Fearow. I knew that he only had one shot left.  
"It's all up to you," Izzy whispered to Beedrill, who was hovering anxiously above Izzy's shoulders. In a flash, Beedrill was out on the field and all pumped up to battle. "Beedrill, use Twin Needle." Beedrill was so strong, it nearly fainted Ninetales, but Ninetales was still holding on. Just by a thread.  
"Ninetales, don't let that Beedrill bug you," Riley shouted defensively. "Use Flamethrower." I cringed in remembrance of how devastating fire was to a bug type. Beedrill avoided the most of the attack, but was nicked. It was still enough to take one-third of Beedrill's HP away. Beedrill narrowed his eyes and dived onto Ninetales, stinger first. There was a lot of dirt kicked up from the attack, and when it cleared Ninetales laid on the ground defeated. Beedrill had one Izzy another victory!  
Mr. Goodshow, the Pokemon League owner, stepped out and congratulated both of us. I looked around for the other trainers.  
"You two have proven yourselves the strongest trainers," he said into the microphone. "Tomorrow, after the battle for third place, we will see who is the Indigo League champion." I stared in shock at Izzy. I couldn't believe that we were the only ones left. Even more unbelievable was that tomorrow, I'd have to battle the one person who stuck by me the whole way. Izzy and I have never battled each other before, but we knew each other's strategy by heart. I was almost ready to forfeit right then and there, but I knew I couldn't do that to Izzy. That wasn't how either of us wanted to win. Izzy was as stunned as I was. How could we challenge each other and still maintain our relationship?  
Chapter 45  
Together Until The End  
  
That evening we called Bill and reported our predicament. He stared glumly at us as we explained all. When we finished, we sat and waited a moment for some sort of plan from Bill. We hadn't expected his reply.  
"Hmm..." he started. "My advice is to give it your all." I shot Bill a look of disbelief. "If you don't want to forfeit, you might as well make it the toughest battle ever and benefit a little from it. As for picking your Pokemon, I suppose one could go out of the room for a moment while the other receives their Pokemon." I guess he was right. I went first.  
"I want a varied team," I mumbled while making my choice. "I'll take Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Pikachu, Pesky, and Butterfree." After trading Snorlax for Butterfree, I requested that Squirtle stay in his Pokeball for the night, so Izzy didn't know. Squirtle nodded in agreement. I walked out of the room while Izzy made his choices.  
"I'll take Beedrill, Charmander, Palmpal, Fearow, Pikachu, and Lapras," he said softly. "Bill, I don't wanna do this." Bill nodded sympathetically.  
"Try your hardest," is all he could think off. "And the winner has to buy the loser ice cream for the night." Izzy smiled happily and nodded his head. Izzy hung up on Bill and prepared for bed. I got into my cot and tried to sleep, but couldn't. My head was whirling with thoughts.  
After I couldn't take it any longer, I sat up and whispered to Izzy, "Whatever happens, I won't think any differently of you." I never got a reply, because Izzy was already fast asleep. I laid back down and slowly fell asleep.  
  
The next day...  
  
"Welcome everyone," the announcer stated. "Today is the day were we see who gets the gold. Today's contestants will be Izzy Romn from right here in Indigo Plateau and Meadow Springs from Celadon City. We are expecting a tough match today, so sit tight and enjoy the battle!" I stepped out to the middle of the field for the coin toss.   
Izzy had already said I could go first, so when the referee tossed the coin I shouted, "Tails!" It was heads, as I figured it would be. I never had good luck with coins.  
"Go Pikachu," I sent out.  
"Go Pikachu," Izzy chose. "Use Quick Attack!" The announcer was having a field day with the prospect that we both had chosen Pikachu. Quick Attack was fairly good of an attack, but my Pikachu was just as quick.  
"So as not to get confused, I'll call my Pikachu, Pika," I announced to Izzy and my Pikachu. "So, Pika, use your Quick Attack!" My attack was more successful, but this match was far from over. Pika jumped back after the attack, while Pikachu got back up.  
"Pikachu, use Swift!" Izzy ordered. I had Pika do the same. Pikachu got a little upset and used Agility to try and confuse my Pokemon. It didn't work. Instead, Pika used another Quick Attack. Pikachu was getting worn out, and Izzy was panicking. Pikachu used Swift again.  
"Pika, use another Quick Attack," I bided. I hated to use the same attack over and over, but if it got the job done I had no complaints.  
"Then you use your Quick attack," Izzy said hotly. Pika was still stronger than Pikachu. After receiving the blow, Pika used Swift. Pikachu was hanging by a thread now. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Pika was getting low on energy too, but one more Swift attack was all it took to faint Pikachu. Izzy frowned and recalled Pikachu.  
"Go Palmpal!" Izzy sent out. "Use Solar Beam!" After collecting enough sunlight, Palmpal fainted my Pikachu with a blast of solar energy.  
"Pikachu, return" I said softly. "Great job. Go Bulbasaur! Use Vine Whip!" It wasn't very effective.  
"Palmpal, use Sleep Powder," Izzy directed. Bulbasaur sat in the middle of the blue haze and didn't fall asleep. He was too charged up to take a nap. Bulbasaur backed away for a moment and then used his own Sleep Powder. It didn't affect Palmpal anymore than it affected Bulbasaur. "Palmpal, use Acid." This also wasn't very effective, because Bulbasaur was also part Poison. Neither Grass nor Poison attacks would work on either Pokemon.  
"Bulbasaur, just keep using Body Slam," I said exasperated. "Maybe you can paralyze Palmpal." Bulbasaur lunged at Palmpal.  
"If that's it then you can do the same," Izzy ordered. For a while Bulbasaur and Palmpal kept ramming each other. It was a pathetic looking match, but there was no other choice. Bulbasaur finally paralyzed Palmpal. Now Bulbasaur had the advantage. Bulbasaur proved victorious as one final Body Slam fainted Palmpal.  
"Return Palmpal," Izzy uttered in a discouraged manner. "Go Charmander, use Flamethrower!" The Flamethrower made short work of Bulbasaur. After recalling Bulbasaur, I thought my plan through for a moment.  
"I could use Squirtle," I considered. "But he's my strongest and I want to save the strongest for last." I made my decision.  
"Go Charmander," I called out. "Use Ember!" It was very ineffective.  
"Just like you called your Pikachu, Pika, I'll call my Charmander, Char," Izzy offered. I nodded. "Char, use Slash!" Charmander took the hit hard. He shook his head and used Fire Spin. It stopped Char from attacking for four turns, but it still didn't do that much damage. "Char, use another Slash!" I decided to put my plan into action.  
"Charmander, use Rage!" I shouted. By now, Charmander had taken a lot of damage, and I thought it'd be a good opportunity to use that to my advantage. Rage did a lot of damage. Char fell backwards, but got up and used it's own Rage attack, which did more damage. Charmander had the advantage, though. Another Rage attack fainted Char. Izzy called Char back.  
"Go Lapras," he sent out. "Use Water Gun." And so ended the match for my Charmander. I recalled him.  
"Go Pesky," I sent out. Izzy looked a little surprised. I suppose he expected me to use Squirtle. Not today. "Pesky, use Fly!" Pesky flew out of the way of an attack that Lapras had launched and dive-bombed her. Lapras recoiled for a moment, and then used Confuse Ray, but missed.  
"Nice try Lapras," Izzy encouraged.  
"Pesky, use Fury Attack," I directed. Pesky landed three hits. So far, Lapras hadn't done any damage.  
"Lapras, use Confuse Ray again," Izzy bided. This time it worked.  
"Try to use Fury Attack again," I said cautiously. Pesky only hit once, but at least he hit. Lapras gathered her strength and used Body Slam. Pesky was still confused but he tried to use Mirror Move. Instead, he attacked himself.  
"Lapras, use Sing!" Izzy shouted. It didn't work at all.  
"Pesky, use Drill Peck," I said. It worked well. Much better than Lapras's Sing. Izzy had to think of a plan, and fast. Lapras couldn't last much longer.  
"Lapras, use Water Gun!" Izzy shouted quickly. It did fair damage, but Pesky had the advantage.  
"Pesky, use Drill Peck at point blank," I directed. It took Izzy a moment to figure out what I had meant, and by the time he had it was too late for him to tell Lapras to move. Pesky flew closely and used Drill Peck for extra damage. Just enough so Lapras would faint. Izzy closed his eyes after recalling Lapras.  
After a few moments, he opened them again and sent out his Pokeball shouting, "I choose you, Fearow! Use Peck!" I had anticipated this strategy, so moments before Fearow could attack, I had Pesky fly low. Pesky was able to maneuver the attack.  
"Pesky, use Fury Attack," I said with confidence. I could plainly see from the accuracy of Pesky's attacks that he was no longer confused. However, I had underestimated Fearow's speed. Pesky was only able to get two hits in. Fearow used his own Fury Attack. He was able to get three hits on Pesky. "Pesky fly!" Pesky flew upwards in great speed, took a good aim, and nailed Fearow.  
"Fearow, use Mirror Move!" Izzy shouted happily. This time it was Fearow who used Fly on Pesky.  
"Pesky, use Drill Peck," I said, shaking. Pesky wasn't doing so well. At least, Drill Peck worked. Fearow used his Drill Peck to faint Pesky.  
"Pesky return," I said in my daze. I was concentrating on my choices.  
"It's down to Squirtle and Butterfree," I debated. After a couple minutes, I made my choice.  
"Give it your all, Butterfree," I encouraged. "Use Psybeam!" I knew Butterfree's Psybeam was incredibly powerful. I needed that power for a quick win. Psybeam didn't faint Fearow, but came close.  
"Fearow, use Peck," Izzy coached. Butterfree was very quick and avoided the attack. With Fearow's back turned, she used Confusion. It fainted Fearow, leaving Butterfree untouched. Izzy had one Pokemon left. I knew that I was going to have to try my hardest to win, now.  
"Go, Beedrill," Izzy sent out. "You're my last shot, so don't give up! Use Agility!" Beedrill's speed rose greatly as Butterfree was lost in the whirl.  
"Butterfree, slow him down with Stun Spore," I commanded. It didn't work, though. Beedrill stopped for a moment. Then, his eyes glowed red. Beedrill was using his Rage attack. It didn't do much damage, because Butterfree hadn't done anything yet. I had to be careful. "Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!" I was determined to slow Beedrill down. This had worked! Beedrill drifted down to the ground and fell asleep.  
"Wake up Beedrill," Izzy said through clenched teeth.  
"Way to go, Butterfree!" I cheered. "Now, use Psybeam!" Beedrill had woken up immediately when he heard Izzy speak. Rising and flying away quickly, Beedrill was able to avoid the attack.  
"Beedrill, great job," Izzy said. "Now, use Twin Needle!" Butterfree flinched as Beedrill took two shots with the stingers on his forearms. "Poison Sting!" I watched as Butterfree took the hits, and get poisoned. Why wasn't she attacking?  
"Butterfree, use Whirlwind!" I ordered. Butterfree blew up a weak gust that didn't even affect Beedrill.  
Squirtle climbed up to my shoulders and whispered in my ear, "Squirtle squirt squirtle squirtle squirt." (I don't think Butterfree's trying.)  
"I don't think so either," I answered back, entirely unaware of the fact I understood Squirtle so well that I didn't even need to see him make any hand signs.  
"Beedrill, use Fury Attack!" Izzy said with his hand clenched in a fist. At least Butterfree wasn't acting like a free target. Beedrill only hit her twice. That still didn't clear up the fact that Butterfree wasn't trying her hardest to attack Beedrill.  
"Butterfree, use Tackle!" I shouted. Butterfree tried the slowest tackle attack I'd ever seen. Beedrill easily avoided it.  
"Why won't she attack?" I whispered back to Squirtle.  
"Squirtle squirt squirt squirtle squirt squirtle," he replied in a sad tone. (She doesn't want to hurt Beedrill.) At the same time, Izzy was wondering about the same thing.  
"If Butterfree's not going to try, then it will be an all out and out battle with Beedrill and Squirtle both at full strength," Izzy speculated.  
"Beedrill, use Hyper Beam," Izzy said coolly. Beedrill drew in its energy and shot a golden beam at Butterfree for the faint.  
"Butterfree return," I recalled. I stared at the Pokeball for a moment. "You let me down." I whispered the last part softly. Then I got myself back into the battle. "Go Squirtle! Use Bite!"  
"Beedrill, use Pin Missile!" Izzy bided. Beedrill took five shots at Squirtle and hit four times. Squirtle shook it off and used Hydro Pump for maximum damage. Hydro Pump is the strongest attack that Squirtle knows. In return, Beedrill came back with his strongest attack. Twin Needle. Luckily, Squirtle's speed prevented it from one of the two stingers.  
"Squirtle, try your Bite attack again," I encouraged my tiring Pokemon. At this point in time, if Squirtle could get a few strong attacks in, Beedrill would faint soon.  
"Beedrill, don't give up," Izzy urged. "Try your Fury Attack!" I held my breath as Beedrill made five attempts to hit Squirtle. He hit three times, which was about average for Beedrill. Squirtle counter attacked with Tackle attack. It wouldn't have been my preferred choice, but now and then I let Squirtle decided what he thinks would be the best attack. "Beedrill, use Twin Needle!" Once again, with some creative maneuvering from Squirtle, Beedrill only made contact once.  
"Squirtle, use Bubble," I suggested. Squirtle's attack paralyzed Beedrill. One more attack should do it.  
"Beedrill, use Hyper Beam," Izzy pleaded. Fighting the paralyzing side effect of Squirtle's Bubble attack, Beedrill unleashed a powerful Hyper Beam. Squirtle was knocked in the air flying and landed with a thud.  
"Squirtle!" I shrieked. I couldn't imagine how Squirtle felt right now. "Squirtle, you've got to try and get up!" For a moment Squirtle just laid there.  
"Squirtle is unable to-" the referee started. Before she could finish, Squirtle stood up. A roar ripped through the crowd as Squirtle trudged forward.  
"Squirtle," I breathed, relieved. "Squirtle, try to use Bubble." Squirtle sucked in his breath and sent out an array of Bubbles that hit Beedrill for the win!  
"Beedrill is unable to battle!" the referee shouted. "Squirtle is the winner!"  
The crowd went nuts as the announcer started screaming into his microphone, "It's all over folks! Meadow Springs is the champion of this years Indigo Pokemon League Tournament!!!"  
I ran up to Squirtle and grabbed him in my arms, crying.  
"We did it!!!!" I shouted. "We won! You won! Thank you!" Izzy just stood there a few yards away, cradling Beedrill in his arms.  
"Izzy," I whispered walking up to him. He looked up sadly. "After we take our Pokemon to the Pokemon Center, I'll go buy us some ice cream."  
  
Chapter 46  
A New Adventure?  
  
I leaned back on Izzy and let out a sigh. It had been a hectic day. Izzy had received a medal for second place and an honorable badge for competing in the Pokemon League. I, on the other hand, had gotten my name inscribed on a plaque, a winner's trophy, and my photo with all my Pokemon taken and placed in the Hall of Fame. On top of that, I also received the badge that every trainer had gotten for competing in the Pokemon League. I gave the trophy and my badge to Joy to hold on to while I decided what I would do now.   
That was exactly what I was thinking about at this moment. For the past five years Izzy and I had trained for the Indigo League. Now that was over and we had no idea what to do next.  
We said goodbye to Robin earlier. Before he left, we asked him what he was going to do now.  
He replied, "Now that I've seen how exhilarating the league was, I'm going to start collecting badges for next year."  
I happily watched our Pokemon play games with each other. I tilted my head backwards to give Izzy a kiss. At that moment, I heard a voice pierce the calm air.  
"Hey Squirtel," Ash greeted. "Hi Izzy. Congratulations!"  
"Thanks," I replied standing up. Izzy stood up too.  
"So now what are you guys going to do?" he asked bluntly. I frowned and glanced at a poster on a pole nearby. I saw a picture on it and smiled faintly.  
"Well," I said slyly smiling at Izzy. "I heard that the Orange Islands are nice this time of year."  



End file.
